This week, while observers were optimistic, the cryptocurrency leader hesitated between an improving economic outlook and the uncertainty surrounding central banks' future rate decisions.

On Wednesday, February 8, the Bitcoin price hovered around $23,200. The price increase is estimated to be 0.9% better than a week earlier. Over the same period, data compiled by the specialized site CoinGecko established that its market capitalization rose by $4 billion to $447 billion.

Bitcoin's main rival, ether has once again eaten up some market share by appreciating nearly 5.5% to 1674 dollars. The market capitalization of all the approximately 12,400 virtual currencies identified by CoinGecko totaled 1133 billion dollars.