Bitcoin Slips From Near $80,000 as U.S. Seizes Three Iranian Tankers Lift Oil Prices

Bitcoin slipped from near $80,000 as oil prices rose and weighed on risk assets, according to CoinDesk.

“Bitcoin slips from near $80,000 as oil price increase weighs on risk assets Bitcoin dips after testing $80,000 as oil surges and traders stay bearish, even though a breakout hints the rally could accelerate on short squeezes”

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The CoinDesk report said Bitcoin fell 0.7% after failing to break $80,000, while ether dropped 2.5% and broader altcoins showed weak participation.

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CoinDesk tied the pressure on crypto to macro moves, saying oil prices rose by 1.5% to $103 per barrel overnight following reports that the U.S. had seized three Iranian tankers in Asian waters.

The same CoinDesk piece said U.S. stock futures were down on Thursday with S&P 500 and Nasdaq 500 futures both losing 0.5% apiece overnight.

It also described the market as having tested $80,000 before sellers stepped in just beneath the $80,000 level of resistance.

CoinDesk added that the decline came after the largest cryptocurrency hit its highest point since January on Wednesday.

In parallel, Crypto Briefing framed the dip market through the lens of the Strait of Hormuz, saying persistent disruption kept oil prices above $100/barrel and fed fears of economic slowdown.

Crypto Briefing also said the Bitcoin dip market for April had barely moved, staying at $1,254 in actual USDC traded daily against a face value of $99,646.

While spot prices wobbled, CoinDesk said derivatives positioning showed a rare mix of conditions that could amplify moves.

It reported that derivatives showed a rare mix of high open interest and negative funding, raising the risk of a short squeeze-driven rally.

Crypto Briefing

CoinDesk said Bitcoin’s futures open interest (OI) slipped to 775K BTC from a record near 800K BTC on Wednesday, but remained at historically elevated levels.

It added that negative perpetual funding rates suggested leveraged bets remained tilted to the bearish side.

CoinDesk described the combination as rare and said “some analysts are calling BTC’s current advance a “most hated” rally, suggesting it could accelerate if bearish traders are forced to unwind their positions.”

The same CoinDesk report said open interest in DOGE had climbed above 14 billion tokens, a level seen only once since October, even as DOGE’s funding rates were skewed positive.

It also said BCH, LINK and LTC had declining OI pointing to an outflow of capital from the market.

CoinDesk further said the cumulative volume delta (CVD) signaled caution, stating that more trades had been initiated by sellers hitting bids than by buyers lifting offers over the past 24 hours across most major altcoins, including XRP, SOL and ETH.

It concluded that BTC and ether’s 30-day implied volatility indices continued to stay flat around recently hit 2.5-month lows, describing calm even as U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks head nowhere.

Crypto Briefing focused on a specific prediction-market contract tied to a Bitcoin dip, describing how thin trading could make the contract sensitive to larger orders.

“The Polymarket contract for Bitcoin dipping to $60,000 in April sits at Market reaction Persistent disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has kept oil prices above $100/barrel, feeding fears of economic slowdown”

Crypto Briefing

It said “The Polymarket contract for Bitcoin dipping to $60,000 in April” sat in a market reaction that reflected persistent macro disruption.

The report said the Bitcoin dip market for April had barely moved, staying at “Why it matters Trading volume in the Bitcoin dip market is modest: $1,254 in actual USDC traded daily against a face value of $99,646.”

It added that the order book was thin enough that “$3,304 would move the price 5 percentage points,” making the contract susceptible to larger trades.

Crypto Briefing said the biggest move in the past 24 hours was “a slight decline,” and it framed the trade as a low-probability bet.

It wrote that at “1.1¢, buying YES on a Bitcoin dip to $60,000 is a cheap lottery ticket if tensions escalate, though the probability is low for a reason.”

The same piece said oil price stabilization would work against the trade, but “current conditions point the other way.”

It also said “US-Iran ceasefire developments, oil supply reports, and anything involving the Strait of Hormuz will move these markets,” and it flagged “OPEC+ announcements and strategic energy meetings” as items to track.

In the background, CoinDesk had already linked the broader crypto move to oil and ceasefire talks, noting that calm prevailed even as “the U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks head nowhere and oil markets remain disrupted.”

Despite the dip described by CoinDesk, Blockspace Media reported a rebound in Bitcoin tied to the same Iran-oil backdrop.

Blockspace Media said Bitcoin rebounded from a pullback to $74,000, hitting $78,900 in early U.S. trading hours, and it attributed the move to a QCP view.

Crypto Briefing

It stated that “Oil markets have pulled back as renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran unsettled sentiment,” while also saying crude rose 8% “according to a Wednesday note from investment firm QCP Group.”

Blockspace Media described the ceasefire dynamic as contested, saying “Accusations from both sides of ceasefire violations over the weekend reversed earlier expectations of de-escalation, QCP noted.”

It also said “It’s unclear if the proposed second round of talks between U.S. officials and Iranian officials will go forward in Pakistan, per CNN,” placing Pakistan in the reporting chain.

Blockspace Media added that “volatility remains near year-to-date lows,” which QCP interpreted as markets adjusting to intermittent disruptions rather than sustained escalation.

It said options markets reflected similar hesitation, with “risk reversals showing limited movement and signaling a lack of strong directional conviction.”

The piece also said “demand for volatility is beginning to build, driven by geopolitical uncertainty and macro event risk.”

Finally, Blockspace Media said markets were focused on “upcoming testimony from Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh before the Senate Banking Committee,” where investors would watch for signals on interest rates and the broader economy.

CoinDesk described a market where bitcoin’s relative strength did not translate into broad altcoin participation, while other tokens moved on idiosyncratic catalysts.

“Skip to content Bitcoin, Markets Bitcoin rebounds to $78”

Blockspace Media

It said ether dropped 2.5% and that broader altcoins showed weak participation, with CoinDesk’s DeFi Select Index (DFX) losing 2.7% since midnight UTC.

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CoinDesk also said the bitcoin-dominant CoinDesk 20 (CD20) was down by 1.1%, and it reported that CoinMarketCap’s “Altcoin Season” index fell to 32/100 on Thursday, its lowest in 10 days.

It highlighted that one token bucked the bearish price action: spark (SPK) increased by more than 70% after it was listed on Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

CoinDesk also reported that privacy coin monero (XMR) rose by 3.3% while DASH and ZEC were both in the red.

It said DeFi tokens morpho and aave led the sector’s move to the downside, losing 4.6% and 2.8%, respectively, as negative sentiment continued following the weekend’s $290 million KelpDAO exploit.

In parallel, Blockspace Media said “demand for volatility is beginning to build, driven by geopolitical uncertainty and macro event risk,” even as it also reported volatility near year-to-date lows.

CoinDesk had similarly said “On Deribit, BTC and ETH puts continue to be pricier than calls,” describing lingering downside concerns.

Taken together, the sources depict a market where macro-driven oil and ceasefire developments are moving the tape, while derivatives and options positioning are shaping how quickly any rebound could extend.