Markets: Bitcoin, Ether inch up; Shiba Inu leads rise across top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether inched up in Asian trading on Thursday afternoon, with Shiba Inu leading gains across most top 10 non-stable cryptocurrencies.
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Fast facts

• Bitcoin rose 0.31% over the past 24 hours and was trading at US$16,830 by 4:30 p.m. in Hong Kong, and Ether inched up 0.38% to US$1,233, according to CoinMarketCap.
• Shiba Inu gained 2.12% to US$0.000009209, possibly from upbeat market sentiment ahead of its Metaverse event on Friday.
• Polygon increased 1.77% to US$0.8958, after it announced on Wednesday that it will partner blockchain-based e-commerce platform LGND and Warner Music Group to establish an NFT music platform.
• Litecoin dropped 1.83% to US$75.57. Litecoin has been on a decline after it rose to a six-month high on Dec. 3.
• Asia markets were mixed following Wall Street’s retreat overnight. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.4%, the Shanghai Composite Index inched down 0.071%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 3.38%.
• Hong Kong local media Wen Wei Po and Sing Tao Daily have reported that the Hong Kong government is discussing further relaxations to Covid-19 restrictions, including reducing the quarantine duration, scrapping Covid test requirements for entry and mask orders in outdoor places.

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