The Bitcoin price is bouncing back strongly amid growing hopes for a potential shift in the standoff between the US and Iran. So far, BTC has gained roughly 10% in the weekly time frame. This pushed the asset back toward the $76,000 area and briefly marked a nearly one-month high. 

The move appears to have been driven by improving sentiment around the conflict, even as tensions remain very real and the US simultaneously took action in the region.

Regulatory Clarity Before A Bigger Push?

The Bitcoin price rally followed claims by President Donald Trump that Iran had reached out to his administration about possible peace talks. At the same time, the US began a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Damien Loh, chief investment officer at Ericsenz Capital, told Bloomberg that Bitcoin is behaving like other risk assets during the move. In his view, the market interpreted Trump’s comments as a sign that the timeline for a deal may be getting extended and that another round of discussions is being pursued. 

Loh also added an important nuance: the Bitcoin price has been trading better than broader risk assets, but he suggested it may take additional regulatory clarity before the next leg up can truly take hold. 

Specifically, he pointed to the possibility that the Bitcoin price could remain range-bound until the US passes the long-awaited CLARITY Act, the industry’s market structure framework. 

Bitcoin Price Breakout Is Just Getting Started

Market analyst Ali Martinez, citing data from his latest analysis, argued that the current push higher is not finished. Martinez said BTC has finally broken above a descending trendline on its 12-hour chart after roughly two months of consolidation inside a symmetrical triangle. 

He described this as a structural change—essentially signaling that the “coiling” phase is over. If the breakout holds, Martinez expects the Bitcoin price could move toward $80,000, which would mark the highest point since January 31 of this year.

Martinez also pointed out that the bullish momentum is happening for more reasons than just the Iran–US news. He said Bitcoin miners have paused forced selling and have been hoarding more than $330 million in BTC over the past few weeks. 

On the demand side, the analyst said there’s a noticeable increase in interest from US-based institutions. He referenced the Coinbase Premium metric as one piece of evidence, noting that it has flipped positive. 

In his framing, a positive Coinbase Premium suggests that regulated capital may be positioning aggressively ahead of what could be the next upward move.

Even after the Bitcoin price initially surged toward $76,000, it later retraced slightly. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price was trading around $75,163, still close to a key level Martinez has highlighted. 

He set a target of $75,300, explaining that reaching this price point would liquidate roughly $80 million in short positions. Martinez said this could trigger what he described as a “cascading effect,” where forced buying from liquidations catches bearish traders off guard and allows BTC to continue moving higher.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ April 15, 2026 1:00 am