Bitcoin just hit an all-time high — here's how you buy and sell it

Bitcoin hit a record high above $12,800 on Wednesday, December 6.

Two years ago, the idea of buying the virtual currency even at that price was laughable. After a rapid rise in value in 2013, the cryptocurrency's value more than halved by mid-2015.

At its lowest point, one bitcoin was equal to about $230.

Given the currency's covert nature, the average person still may not understand how buying and selling actually works.

Using the app Coinbase, which lets anyone trade bitcoins for a small fee, we decided to find out.

A brief warning: If you're going to do this, tell your bank you're about to buy bitcoin. More on that later.

And to read more about blockchain, the technology powering bitcoin, click here.

SEE ALSO: Bitcoin is trying to make a comeback

This is what the Coinbase app looks like on an iPhone.

When you first open the app, you're presented with the latest price of bitcoin and its change within a certain period. You can see in the chart below how wild the latest moves have been. (We bought the bitcoin in January 2017.)

I happen to be one of the many who have never traded bitcoin before. There's a certain level of wariness in buying into the cryptocurrency world.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Contributer : Tech Insider http://ift.tt/2mho0PB

Something that you might miss to see?