On their first day of trading, bitcoin futures surged past $18,000, adding to a streak for the digital currency that began the year at just $1,000 and has nearly tripled in value over the past month alone. From a report: Reuters reports that bitcoin futures, traded through the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), saw January contracts, which opened at $15,460 in New York on Sunday evening, leap to a high of $17,170 during Asian hours. Trading, which began at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT), was so intense that halts designed to cool volatility were triggered twice on the CBOE. The halts are “not surprising based on the volatility of the underlying [asset]. The futures are behaving as expected and designed,” Tom Lehrkinder, senior analyst at consulting firm Tabb Group, was quoted by CNBC as saying.

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Source: Slashdot – Bitcoin Futures Surge In First Day Of Trading