The price of Bitcoin broke past $49,000 to achieve a new all-time high across major exchanges.

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) achieved a new record above $49,000 on Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, rising to as high as $49,344 on Coinbase.

There are three main reasons Bitcoin surged to a new all-time high, namel high stablecoin inflows, clean break of the $38,000 resistance area, and a prolonged consolidation phase.

High stablecoin inflows were key

Throughout the past several days, despite Bitcoin’s consolidation below $38,000, on-chain analysts pinpointed the continuous increase in stablecoin inflows.

According to data from CryptoQuant, a data analytics platform, the Stablecoin Supply Ratio (SSR) rose significantly as it rallied from the mid-$30,000 region.

The SSR indicator shows the ratio of the market cap of Bitcoin relative to the aggregated market cap of stablecoins.

When the price of Bitcoin rises in tandem with the SSR ratio, then it means it is likely being driven by sidelined capital re-entering the market.

This trend is highly optimistic because it shows that the rally was not just driven by an over-leveraged futures market. In fact, it was genuine demand from the spot market that led the uptrend.

Atop the high stablecoin ratio, analysts also pinpointed the decline in selling pressure coming from miners.

The combination of the lower selling pressure from miners and the increasing stablecoin inflows into exchanges catalyzed the ongoing Bitcoin rally.

$38,000 resistance cleanly breaks

Bitcoin was consolidating under the $38,000 resistance area for a prolonged period. This presented a risk to the short-term bull cycle of Bitcoin.

When the price of Bitcoin hovers under a key resistance area for a long time, it increases the probability of BTC dropping to a lower support area to tap lower liquidity.

This is partially the reason why Bitcoin regularly dropped to around $44,000 before its eventual impulse rally above $38,000.

Long consolidation was beneficial for BTC price breakout

A relatively long consolidation period normally leads to two scenarios: a severe breakdown or a major breakout.

If Bitcoin rallies without strong fundamentals to support the rally, there is a bigger chance that the consolidation leads to a deep correction.

Read more: COINTELEGRAPH

BITCOIN could soon surge with one expert claiming there will soon be an “avalanche of thousands of companies” ready to invest in the cryptocurrency.

On Monday a report from RBC Capital Markets stated that Apple is well “positioned” to accept bitcoin as payment on Apple Pay. Originally reluctant to adopt the new digital monetary technology, the company banned cryptocurrency wallets from its App Store in 2014. However, they later reversed the decision and now allows them.

On Wednesday Mastercard Inc announced a plan to offer support for cryptocurrencies on its network in 2021.

This means Mastercard will sit alongside BlackRock Inc, Square and PayPal, who all have recently decided to support cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Mastercard said: “Doing this work will create a lot more possibilities for shoppers and merchants, allowing them to transact in an entirely new form of payment.

“This change may open up merchants to new customers who are already flocking to digital assets”.

Speaking to Express bitcoin pioneer Max Keiser said: “As money printing by central banks goes parabolic all companies with cash on hand will start moving it into Bitcoin.

“In which order depends on how the board of directors are set up.

“Michael Saylor and Elon Musk control their boards and acted quickly.

“Apple’s board is more bureaucratic, so may take longer to approve.

“I’m hearing Larry Ellison at Oracle will announce a bitcoin position soon.

“Bitcoin payment rails will dominate.

“It might be Apple Pay on top, but it’ll be Bitcoin running underneath.”

Today bitcoin payment service BitPay announced its prepaid Mastercard is now compatible with Apple Pay for purchases in stores, in apps, and online.

Speaking to Express.co.uk Ben Gagnon, Director of Mining Operations at Bitfarms, said: “Fortune 500 companies like Apple and Tesla accepting Bitcoin for payment is a major accomplishment.

“Not because Apple or Tesla are likely to sell any more products as a result but because they will lead the way for many more businesses around the world to also accept Bitcoin as payment.”

Entrepreneur Michael Saylor speaking to Yahoo Finance predicted there would be a move from traditional treasury assets like cash and bonds into bitcoin, which he has labelled, “digital gold”.

Read more: Express