Bitcoin rose marginally on Friday, holding above $6,500 for the second session as prices strive to gather momentum towards the coveted $7,000.

At Bitstamp, Bitcoin rose $7, or 0.1% to $6,555, with an intraday high at $6,594, and a low at $6,510. 

Bitcoin rose 1.5% on Thursday, the first profit in four days away from week lows at $6,396. 

Market value of cryptocurrencies rose less than a billion dollars on Friday to a total of $219 billion. 

In a speech to the United Nations, prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, declared cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies as the future and the solution to many of the problems facing the finance world today. 

But while Malta continues to be an oasis for crypto incentives and official recognition, many other countries are still eyeing the new business with doubts, with China for example banning cryptocurrencies outright.

In the US, brokerage firm TD Ameritrade has announced an investment in new crypto exchange ErisX, betting on a market that's currently suffering deep selloffs. 

TD Ameritrade, which services up to 11 million clients, didn't disclose the details of the deal, but news outlets reported several other backers such as trading company Virtu Financial.

The new platform is expected to directly sell cryptocurrencies in addition to their futures by early 2019, with the list including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. 

In a major blow to the crypto business in South Korea, the government committed to proposals to exclude crypto and blockchain companies from being considered venture companies. 

That means they will be treated the same way as entertainment, bar, and gambling companies, with nearly double the tax rate and without many of the benefits that startups and venture companies take. 

In Japan, news outlook reported the self-regulatory Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) is planning to tighten the measures related to client asset management. 

The JVCEA is a self regulatory group that includes several major licensed crypto exchanges in Japan, established in April, with the organization also planning to put a cap on the amount of cryptocurrencies managed online through any platform. 

The Japan Times reported the cap would likely by 10% to 20% from total client assets. 

Yen tilted higher in Asian trade against the greenback away from November 2017 lows, following earlier wages, spending data from Japan, and ahead of US labor data. 

As of 06:01 GMT, USD/JPY inched down to 113.88, with an intraday low at 113.85, and a high at 114.10. 

Earlier Japanese data showed household spending rose 2.8% y/y, compared to a 0.1% increase in July, while average earnings rose 0.9%, slowing down sharply from 1.6%. 

An index that combines many other indices into one rose to 104.4 from 103.9, edging estimates of 104.3. 

Now investors await the all important US payrolls report, with the unemployment rate expected to fall to 3.8% from 3.9%, while payrolls are estimated to have increased 185 thousand, down from 201 thousand in August. 

The US trade deficit is estimated at $53.4 billion, up from $50.1 billion in July, while Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is due to speak at the Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference, in Atlanta.

Litecoin tilted lower away from September 5 highs for the seventh session out of nine, after marking the best daily performance since February 14 on September 27, boosted by crypto discussions in the United Nations. 

As of 05:16 GMT, Litecoin shed 0.32% to $58.112, with an intraday high at $58.915, and a low at $57.755. 

In a speech to the United Nations, prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, declared cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies as the future and the solution to many of the problems facing the finance world today. 

But while Malta continues to be an oasis for crypto incentives and official recognition, many other countries are still eyeing the new business with doubts, with China for example banning cryptocurrencies outright.

Litecoin was buoyed last week as Google announced plans to update its ad policy in October to allow certain crypto companies to advertise on the platform. 

Google's announcement now allows registered companies to advertise on the Google Ad Words system, targeting America and Japan. 

The crucial change of policy comes after Google banned all crypto adds from its platform last March due to multiple concerns. 

Facebook also recently reversed a ban on crypto ads for registered companies, while maintaining the ban on ads for initial coin offerings. 

The Path of Litecoin

Litecoin was first publicly offered in the first half of 2013 at only $3, marking record lows at below $1 in early 2015 before taking off on its long and spotted journey higher. 

The cryptocurrency pierced $100 for the first time on November 29, 2017, before scaling a record high at $370.78 on December 19, and plummeting back below $100 on June 12, then moving on to $$47.22 on September 12.

Silver futures tilted higher in Asian trade, while the dollar index barely gained ground away from July 9 lows, ahead of US labor, trade data today. 

As of 05:05 GMT, silver futures due in December rose 0.14% to $14.61 an ounce, while the dollar index added 0.07% to 95.82 away from three-month lows. 

Now investors await the all important US payrolls report, with the unemployment rate expected to fall to 3.8% from 3.9%, while payrolls are estimated to have increased 185 thousand, down from 201 thousand in August. 

The US trade deficit is estimated at $53.4 billion, up from $50.1 billion in July, while Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic is due to speak at the Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference, in Atlanta.