Bitcoin's price is having trouble staying above $61,000, despite a rise in European stock indices, as the Bank of England kept interest rates steady but hinted at a possible rate cut in the summer. Most European and UK stock indices were up on Thursday. In London, the FTSE 100 went up 22.19 points to 8,393.39 in mid-day trading, a new all-time high.

The regional Stoxx 600 index went up 0.15% in Europe to 516.54. The Bank of England said it would keep interest rates steady at 5.25% for the sixth time in a row and would keep waiting to see what happens until it feels like the time is right to lower the base rate.

But the central bank's head, Andrew Bailey, said there was "good news" about inflation and hinted that rates might be cut as soon as next month if inflation goes down like they think it will.

"We've had good news about inflation, and we think it will go down to about 2% in the next few months. We need to see more proof that inflation will stay low before we can cut interest rates. I'm hopeful that things are going in the right direction," Bailey said.