On Tuesday evening, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily returned to $96,000 following a fresh bullish surge amid this period of uncertainty. What factors explain this movement?
Bitcoin (BTC) Rises Again, Surpassing $96,000
Last week, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) regained some momentum, briefly retaking the $93,000 mark. Later, in an article about significant inflows into U.S. ETFs, we discussed a trading range between $80,600 and $95,000.
On Tuesday evening, BTC briefly broke out of this range to surpass $96,300 before correcting slightly. At the time of writing, the price of a bitcoin stands at $95,000, up 3.5% over the past 24 hours:
BTC price (daily data)
Once again, the percentage changes are marginal, but current levels nevertheless mark a first since last November.
Elsewhere in the market, we’re seeing some strong performances, such as ETH, which reached $3,300 after rising 6.2%, and ADA, which climbed 7.5% to surpass $0.42:
Top 10 crypto market caps
While some are already talking about a hypothetical return of BTC to $100,000, several factors may explain the movement. Beyond an attempt to break out of the range described earlier—which, incidentally, has yet to be confirmed—it’s worth noting that, at the same time, the S&P 500 is at record highs, reflecting a certain degree of investor optimism.
While the CLARITY Act is set to be the next major regulatory milestone for cryptocurrencies in the United States, Paul Atkins, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), praised the benefits of this framework on X on Tuesday:
The most important thing we can do for investors right now is to bring crypto-asset markets out of the regulatory gray area.
Beyond crypto, the possibility of new U.S. intervention in Iran could also provide support for the markets. According to the NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 734 protesters have been killed by the Islamic regime’s crackdown since the protest movement began on December 28.
In this context, Donald Trump stated that “it wouldn’t be a bad idea” for U.S. allies to leave the country and that he believed “they should leave .” Earlier in the day, on his Truth Social platform, he called on the Iranian people to continue protesting:
Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take back control of your institutions! Remember the names of the murderers and executioners. They will pay dearly. I have canceled all my meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless massacres of protesters stop. Help is on the way.
In June 2025, the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities, which led to a ceasefire with Israel.
Pending further details, Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $754 million in net inflows on Tuesday, while liquidations on crypto derivatives totaled $685.5 million over 24 hours, 86.5% of which involved short positions.
