Bitcoin climbs as futures debut fails to incite attack by shorts

The arrival of a new futures contract that makes it easier to place short bets on bitcoin wasn’t enough to undercut the cryptocurrency’s march toward $20,000.

The digital token, up about 20-fold this year, added another 4.8 per cent from its New York close on Friday to $18,379 as of 9.24 local time, according to prices on Bloomberg. That was in line with its new contract for January delivery, which was at $18,650. Bitcoin touched a record $19,511 just minutes before CME Group began offering futures on Sunday evening in a move that broadens the market for institutional traders and makes