The price of a bitcoin has climbed above that of a troy ounce of gold for the first time on record after the cryptocurrency enjoyed a dramatic upswing in interest since last year.

一枚比特币的价格已超过一盎司黄金的价格，这是有记录以来的第一次。自去年以来，投资者对这种加密货币兴趣猛增。

Bitcoin has jumped by nearly 33 per cent this year to trade at $1,265 a troy ounce on Thursday amid a surge in interest in China, where the authorities fret¹ the digital currency is being used to facilitate capital flight from the country. Bitcoin has risen nearly 200 per cent over the past 12 months, despite efforts to curb² its use in China.

今年以来比特币大涨近33%，周四达到每枚1265美元，这是因为中国人对比特币的兴趣突然大增。中国当局担心有人正利用这种数字货币将资本撤离中国。尽管中国采取措施限制比特币的使用，但过去12个月里比特币价格上涨了近200%。

Of course, comparing gold to bitcoin is arbitrary, given that the precious metal is measured in weight – a troy ounce of gold (about 31 grams) cost $1,233 on Thursday – while the virtual currency beloved of technologists is entirely³ ephemeral and abstract. But the cross is nonetheless symbolic⁴ of its unexpected staying power and influence in certain circles.

当然，把黄金跟比特币相比有失严谨。黄金这种贵金属以重量来衡量价格——周四1盎司黄金（约31克）价格为1233美元——而比特币这种被技术专家喜爱的虚拟货币完全是虚无缥缈和抽象的。但是，这次价格超越突显比特币在某些圈子中有着出人意料的持久力和影响力。

Although most of the interest has shifted towards the potential wider usages of blockchain – the electronic ledger⁵ that underpins⁶ bitcoin – the Securities and Exchange Commission is currently considering a proposal for an exchange-traded fund backed by bitcoin.

虽然大部分人的兴趣已转向区块链技术（即支持比特币的电子账目）潜在的更广泛用途，但美国证交会(SEC)目前正在考虑一项推出由比特币支持的交易所交易基金(ETF)的提议。

SEC officials on February 14 met with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss – the bitcoin ETF’s champions – to discuss the proposal and a decision is due by March 11, according to Bloomberg.

2月14日，美国证交会官员会见了比特币ETF的倡导者泰勒?文克莱沃斯(Tyler Winklevoss)和卡梅伦?文克莱沃斯(Cameron Winklevoss)兄弟，一起讨论了这个提议。彭博社(Bloomberg)表示，美国证交会将于3月11日前就此做出决定。

The digital currency came close to the headline gold price in late 2013, when it spiked⁷ above $1,000 per dollar for the first time, but then quickly halved⁸ in value in 2014, traded sideways for much of 2015 before embarking⁹ on a sharp rally in the middle of last year.

2013年底，这种数字货币的价格首次突破1000美元，一度逼近黄金价格。但进入2014年，比特币价格迅速被腰斩，在2015年大部分时间里则呈横盘走势，然后在2016年中期开始了急速上涨。