Currencies

If you are one of the many individuals who owns bitcoins, or is thinking about buying into the emerging technology, one important thing to note is that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not in fact treat the burgeoning digital currency as a currency.

The Latest on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting (all times local): 4:50 a.m.

U.S. stocks edged higher in early trading Wednesday ahead of an expected interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve.

A growing number of Venezuelans are turning to bitcoin to make ends meet amid the country’s economic crisis, including John Villar, who in the last month has bought has bought two plane tickets to Colombia, purchased his wife's medication and paid the employees of his startup business — all in bitcoin.

Niall Ferguson, historian and author of ‘The Ascent of Money,’ weighs in on concerns of a potential bitcoin bubble.

Greece's Supreme Court is due to rule whether to allow the extradition of a Russian cybercrime suspect to the United States to stand trial for allegedly laundering billions of dollars using the virtual currency bitcoin.

The U.S. Federal Reserve will be keeping a watchful eye on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Fed chair nominee Jerome Powell said before Congress on Tuesday.

Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday following overnight gains on Wall Street as investors looked ahead to a likely U.S. interest rate hike.

The CME has increased its margin requirements for bitcoin futures to 43% ahead of the launch, up from 35%. “Margins for CME bitcoin futures are being increased to 43% for launch as a result of the normal review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage,” according to a release from the CME.

The Latest on the Greek ruling on the extradition of Russian cybercrime suspect Alexander Vinnik (all times local): 2:30 p.m. Greece's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a request to extradite a Russian cybercrime suspect to the United States to stand trial for allegedly laundering billions of dollars using the virtual currency bitcoin.

Virtual currency bitcoin hit another all-time peak on Tuesday, two days after the launch of the first ever bitcoin futures on a U.S. exchange and ahead of the start of another futures contract next week.

Bitcoin futures began trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) on Sunday, a move seen as a milestone for the cryptocurrency.

Ethereum is trading above $600 for the first time this week. The digital currency has jumped 98% in value in the last month and more than 7,250% since this time last year, according to Coinbase.

Israel's markets regulator said on Tuesday bitcoin-based companies would not be included in any indexes on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) but that does not mean they should be banned from trading.

Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Tuesday as investors stepped back after several days of advances, erasing early gains.

U.S. stock indexes edged higher in early trading Monday as gains in technology and energy companies outweighed losses among makers of packaged foods and other consumer goods.

Boeing said on Monday it would raise its quarterly dividend by 20 percent to $1.71 per share and replace its existing share repurchase program with a new $18 billion authorization.

___ Bitcoin futures soar amid frenzy over virtual currency NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street got its first taste of bitcoin on Monday, with the price of the first-ever futures contract for the digital currency jumping 20 percent.