NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin has surged to a record high of more than $6,000, pushing its market capitalization to $100 billion at one point, as investors continued to bet on an asset that has a limited supply and has paved the way for a whole slew of crypto-currencies.
The original virtual currency has gained over 500 percent this year, more than any other tradable asset class. Bitcoin though is very volatile - posting gains and losses as high as 26 percent and 16 percent respectively on any given day.
On Friday, bitcoin hit a record peak $6,000.10  on the BitStamp platform, and was last at $5,964.24, up 4.7 percent on the day.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that can either be held as an investment, or used as a foundation for future applications through the blockchain, its underlying technology. The blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions.