BUZZ-'To the moon:' bitcoin more than doubles in 2024, crypto stocks mixed

Shares of several U.S. cryptocurrency and blockchain-related companies skyrocket in 2024, as bitcoin BTC= more than doubles in value, but broad losses among some miners weigh on the sector's rally

Gains in crypto markets were driven by hopes of easing regulatory roadblocks in 2025 under President-elect Donald Trump, along with hopes of institutional adoption

Top sector highlights for the year include, approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, BTC hitting $100,000 for the first time and BTC-buyer MicroStrategy's MSTR.O inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index

"We expect bitcoin to hit a cycle-high of $200,000 in late 2025 ... expect bitcoin to emerge as the new-age premier 'store of value' asset eventually replacing gold over the next decade," analysts at Bernstein wrote earlier this month

Crypto rally winners: BTC, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, is up ~124% YTD. Ether ETH=, the second-biggest digital asset, jumps ~49%

Sector's market cap surges to $3.43 trillion, according to CoinGecko

MSTR, the world's biggest holder of BTC as a corporate treasury asset, soars nearly five-fold this year, while U.S.-listed shares of Hut 8 HUT.O up ~61%

Crypto exchange Coinbase Global COIN.O up ~47% YTD

The losers: miners Riot Platforms RIOT.O, Marathon Digital MARA.O and Bit Digital BTBT.O down between 26% and 32% YTD

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru)

((Manya.Saini@thomsonreuters.com))