Earlier this month, he called the cryptocurrency a "hustle" during his guest-host spot on the "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch TV show, leading prices to tumble.

"Yeah, I haven't & won't sell any Doge," Musk said on Twitter in response to a tweet on Thursday claiming he would never sell any of his doge holdings and that he was the "ultimate hodler". (https://bit.ly/342BQMU)

His tweets on dogecoin have turned the once-obscure digital currency into a speculator's dream.

Musk has posted numerous comments about cryptocurrencies on Twitter this year, causing prices to gyrate.

Last week, Musk said Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin for car purchases, citing long-brewing environmental concerns for a swift reversal in the company's position on the cryptocurrency.

Dogecoin was up 12% at $0.405, according to crypto exchange Binance.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)