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

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

“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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CoinDesk 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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It reported that oil prices rose by 1.5% to $103 per barrel overnight after reports that the U.S. had seized three Iranian tankers in Asian waters.

CoinDesk also tied the move to U.S. stock futures, saying S&P 500 and Nasdaq 500 futures both losing 0.5% apiece overnight.

The same CoinDesk report described bitcoin as having tested $80,000 and then slipping, after the largest cryptocurrency hit its highest point since January on Wednesday before sellers stepped in just beneath the $80,000 level of resistance.

CoinDesk added that bitcoin had languished between $63,000 and $75,000 since early February, before appearing to have broken out of a two-month range to the upside.

It also said calm prevailed even as “U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks head nowhere,” with bitcoin and ether’s 30-day implied volatility indices staying flat around recently hit 2.5-month lows.

While CoinDesk described bitcoin struggling around $80,000, Analytics Insight reported bitcoin was steady at $77,876 and framed the day as a mixed tape driven by macro uncertainty.

Analytics Insight said bitcoin is 0.44% at $77,876, supported by over $1.5 billion in ETF inflows over six days, and it highlighted BlackRock’s IBIT holding 806,700 BTC worth $63.7 billion.

Analytics Insight

It also reported XRP falling 1.81% to $1.41 and Solana down 1.45% to $85.84, pointing to weakness in altcoins despite bitcoin’s relative stability.

The same report said the global crypto market cap is down by 0.14% at $2.59 trillion at press time, and it described bitcoin as holding in the range of $77,000-$78,000.

Analytics Insight quoted CoinSwitch Markets Desk saying, “BTC is moving closer to the $80,000 mark again, supported by strong ETF inflows,” and it added that “$80,000 is proving to be a tough level to break.”

It also quoted Mudrex’s Akshat Siddhant saying, “BTC is largely mirroring the tech sector's gains as investors turned bullish after geopolitical tensions eased.”

The report further cited on-chain liquidation activity, stating “over $330 million in leveraged positions were liquidated in the last 24 hours,” and it said IBIT hit a record high after nine straight days of net inflows, with IBIT pulling in around $1.7 billion over the last four weeks.

CoinDesk’s derivatives section described a market setup that it called rare, combining high open interest with negative funding that raises the risk of a short-squeeze-driven rally.

It said bitcoin’s futures open interest (OI) slipped to 775K BTC from a record near 800K BTC on Wednesday, while remaining “historically elevated.”

CoinDesk reported that negative perpetual funding rates suggest leveraged bets remain tilted to the bearish side, and it said “This combination is rare.”

It added that “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.

CoinDesk also gave specific altcoin derivatives signals, saying open interest in DOGE has climbed above 14 billion tokens, a level seen only once since October, while DOGE funding rates are skewed positive.

It reported that BCH, LINK and LTC are other coins with declining OI pointing to an outflow of capital from the market, and it said the cumulative volume delta (CVD) signals caution because “more trades have been initiated by sellers hitting bids than by buyers lifting offers over the past 24 hours.”

In parallel, Blockspace Media described a rebound in bitcoin to $78.8K while Iran tensions impacted oil prices, saying Bitcoin rebounded from a pullback to $74,000, hitting $78,900 in early U.S. trading hours.

Across the crypto coverage, U.S.-Iran tensions and oil-market disruption were presented as the dominant macro driver.

Analytics Insight said one of the biggest macro factors weighing on crypto prices is the ongoing US-Iran conflict, now in its 54th day, and it described the Strait of Hormuz naval blockade by the US continuing.

CoinDesk

It reported that Brent crude oil has jumped to over $104 per barrel, in a 13% hike across the past three sessions, while WTI is trading around $95.

Analytics Insight also quoted President Trump saying there is ‘no time frame’ for when the conflict will end, and it linked that to continued uncertainty for crypto investors.

Crypto Briefing similarly tied its “Bitcoin dip market for April” to persistent disruption in the Strait of Hormuz keeping oil prices above $100/barrel and feeding fears of economic slowdown.

It said the Polymarket contract for Bitcoin dipping to $60,000 in April has barely moved, and it described the trading mechanics as “susceptible to larger trades” because the order book is thin enough that $3,304 would move the price 5 percentage points.

Blockspace Media added that accusations from both sides of ceasefire violations over the weekend reversed earlier expectations of de-escalation, and it said QCP noted volatility remains near year-to-date lows.

Beyond price moves, the sources emphasized institutional and policy signals that could shape the next phase of crypto trading.

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

Blockspace Media

CoinDesk reported that Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told two congressional panels that the military is running a live Bitcoin node for cybersecurity testing and views the protocol as a tool of national power in competition with China.

Crypto Briefing

It said Paparo told Congress the U.S. military is currently operating a live node on the Bitcoin network, and it specified that the node is “not being used to mine Bitcoin but to monitor activity and run operational tests on securing and protecting networks using the Bitcoin...”.

Analytics Insight also pointed to regulatory uncertainty, saying obstacles slowing down the CLARITY Act include the CFTC being short-staffed, the Trump family's World Liberty Financial project making the bill politically sensitive, and Iran-related anti-money laundering concerns that may lead to tougher amendments.

It said delays in US crypto regulation create short-term uncertainty and that “The passage of the bill could be a major catalyst for the market.”

Crypto Briefing offered a specific “What to watch,” saying “US-Iran ceasefire developments, oil supply reports, and anything involving the Strait of Hormuz will move these markets,” and it added that “OPEC+ announcements and strategic energy meetings are also worth tracking.”

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