Weekend panics followed by Monday reversals have become the norm in 2026, and the action over the last 48 hours has continued that pattern.
Down about 4% from late Saturday night into early Monday morning on news that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance had left Pakistan without an Iran peace deal and President Trump’s ordering of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, bitcoin erased those losses in Monday U.S. action.
Trading at $73,400 as U.S. stocks closed for the day, bitcoin was higher by more than 3% over the last 24 hours. Ether (ETH), solana (SOL) and $XRP ($XRP) were also in the green, though posting slightly smaller gains than $BTC.
Leading crypto-related stocks higher were Circle (CRCL), up 11%, Gemini (GEMI), up 9%, and MARA Holdings (MARA) and Bullish (BLSH), each up just over 8%.
In traditional markets, the Nasdaq was higher by 1.2%, and WTI crude oil had pulled all the way back to $98 per barrel after topping $105 at one point on Sunday.
No let-up from Strategy
Away from Middle East issues, Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) continues to hoover up bitcoin at a mighty pace. The company last week bought 13,927 $BTC for $1 billion. Interestingly, Saylor and team issued no common stock to fund the purchases, but instead $1 billion worth of their STRC preferred stock, which yields 11.5%.
The action today in STRC suggests more big buys are coming this week. Volume Monday on STRC (when checked just before 3 pm ET) was a record $770 million. With the stock continuing to trade at par, it suggests sizable additional issuance by Strategy, and thus more large bitcoin buys.
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