Bitcoin mining has reached a record high – but the “dirty secret” of the cryptocurrency continues to rumble underneath. In some cases, the rumble is very real: the BBC reported this week on the “constant hum” that some in the US are subjected to as power plants generate the energy required to create new bitcoin.

Price move gives renewed hope that the digital token can achieve a kind of escape velocity against almost any economic backdrop.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies kept their momentum after a two-day stint during which the world's largest crypto hit fresh highs.