[ti:Tesla Says It Will Accept Bitcoins for Car Payment] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]American carmaker Tesla said on Monday [00:03.92]that it had invested around $1.5 billion in bitcoin, [00:10.12]an internet-based form of money. [00:14.24]The company is expected to begin accepting the digital currency [00:19.20]as payment for its cars and other products in the near future. [00:25.44]The announcement from one of the best-known American car companies [00:29.96]sent the price of bitcoin up more than 10 percent. [00:35.84]Tesla chief Elon Musk is a supporter of the digital currency. [00:42.76]In recent weeks, Musk used the social media website [00:47.48]Twitter to praise bitcoin. [00:51.52]Musk said a week ago that bitcoin was "on the verge" [00:56.80]of being more widely accepted by investors. [01:01.80]Last December, he asked if it was possible [01:05.80]to do large business deals in the currency. [01:10.72]Eric Turner is a vice president of market intelligence [01:14.96]at the research company Messari. [01:18.68]He says more companies will use bitcoin now [01:22.48]since "Tesla has made the first move." [01:27.40]He told Reuters, "One of the largest companies in the world [01:32.16]now owns Bitcoin and by extension, every investor that owns Tesla, [01:38.12]or even just an S&P 500 fund has exposure to it as well." [01:45.00]The value of a Bitcoin has reached record highs in recent months. [01:51.24]The currency has also gained support [01:54.00]from major financial companies this year. [01:58.40]The financial services company Blackrock recently permitted [02:02.72]some of its funds to invest in the currency. [02:07.56]However, government-run central banks around the world [02:11.96]do not support the digital currency. [02:16.24]The price of bitcoin has gone up and down wildly since it was created in 2009 [02:23.16]by a mysterious developer or group going by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto. [02:30.36]In 2017, for example, the price went from $975 on March 25 [02:38.48]to more than $20,000 on December 17. [02:44.00]A year later, it was worth less than $4,000. [02:49.88]During the pandemic, bitcoin was trading at less than $11,000 in October of 2020. [02:58.60]The price increased to more than $40,000 on January 8, 2021 [03:05.40]and dropped to $30,000 three days later. [03:11.24]Bitcoin was valued at more than $43,000 after Tesla's announcement Monday. [03:19.80]Tesla said in a document sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [03:25.52]early Monday that its $1.5 billion investment [03:30.08]in digital currency and other "alternative" holdings may grow. [03:35.76]Neil Wilson is a market expert for Markets.com. [03:41.32]He said of Tesla's Elon Musk, [03:44.28]"He's now putting his money (shareholders') where his mouth is." [03:48.72]He warned, "But given his recent comments [03:52.28]– and adding #Bitcoin to his Twitter bio on January 29th [03:58.00]– it also raises a real question about possible market manipulation." [04:04.84]In 2018, Musk was fined $20 million by the SEC [04:11.08]for charges of wrongdoing related to his use of social media. [04:17.36]Recently, Musk was involved in driving up the share prices [04:22.24]of U.S. video game seller GameStop. [04:26.92]While more companies have used the technology behind bitcoin, [04:31.56]known as blockchain, the actual uses of bitcoin [04:35.76]have not changed very much. [04:39.48]Some businesses, such as Overstock.com, [04:43.48]have accepted payments in bitcoin. [04:46.80]Still, its popularity is low compared with normal currencies. [04:52.84]Many individuals and businesses will not accept bitcoins for payments. [05:00.68]But that could change if others follow Tesla [05:04.44]and begin accepting the digital currency. [05:09.08]I'm Jonathan Evans. [05:10.80]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM