Bitcoin defends $64K after U.S., Israel strikes on Iran as ETF flows return to center stage

Bitcoin traded through a weekend macro shock after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran sparked regional retaliation.

The largest price swings occurred during low-liquidity hours, leaving spot BTC back near the mid-$64,000 area.

The move reinforced a pattern that has become more visible in the ETF era: Bitcoin can function as a 24/7 pressure valve for macro risk.

At the same time, the deepest marginal liquidity increasingly concentrates in weekday, regulated venues.

That structural split is showing up in participation.

Weekend activity has capitulated ever since spot Bitcoin ETFs joined the market in 2024. Last week showed a particularly large drop-off, even as weekday trading levels have surged since the start of February, especially on Coinbase.

Bitcoin trading volume (Source: data.bitcoinity.org)

The shift can widen weekend air pockets and increase the chance of sharp reversals when geopolitical headlines hit.

It also keeps focus on Monday’s “next open” variables, especially the spot ETF create-redeem channel and the persistence of any risk premium in rates, FX, and energy.

If Monday sees US traders flood into ETFs as they did last week, Bitcoin could continue its recovery, especially if today’s ‘lower high’ holds through the rest of the weekend. However, if Bitcoin starts the week within the $63,000-$61,000 price band, a jittery market open could pull it down even further.

The CME angle remains part of trader positioning as well, with attention on CME weekend gaps that form when futures are closed but spot continues trading.

The next read-through is less about the weekend candle and more about how U.S. markets reprice risk when spot bitcoin ETFs reopen.

Our recent market coverage has highlighted renewed inflows, with reported multi-day ETF inflows topping $1 billion over three sessions even as price action remained choppy.

At the same time, positioning has stayed uneven.

Year-to-date net outflows stood at about $2.6 billion by mid-February, emphasizing why rebounds can be sharp but are capped when liquidity thins and headline risk rises.

Macro context also matters because this was not a one-off geopolitical tape.

Earlier in the week, trade policy uncertainty hit risk sentiment after the Supreme Court constrained Trump’s tariff authority under emergency powers, forcing a pivot in strategy.

In the aftermath, the Section 122 path and the flat 15% tariff reintroduced uncertainty around the U.S. trade outlook.

Cross-asset reactions around that sequence, including gold’s move amid tariff uncertainty and the dollar’s softness tied to trade uncertainty, framed bitcoin as part of a broader policy-risk complex rather than a crypto-only story.

For the Iran channel, markets tend to focus on energy flows because oil is the clearest transmission line from geopolitics into inflation expectations, yields, and the dollar.

That mix can tighten financial conditions for risk assets.

Axios’s breakdown of the energy pathway highlighted the Strait of Hormuz as a chokepoint, carrying about 25% of global maritime oil trade and about 20% of LNG shipments.

Separate reporting also put attention on crude sensitivity and the OPEC+ reaction function, which will shape whether weekend stress fades into relief or hardens into a rates-driven risk-off.

Against that backdrop, we can map the rebound around a small set of levels that separate “contained escalation” from “energy shock” outcomes.

Based on the levels visible in the move, the immediate battleground sits around the mid-$64,000s, with support shelves below and a resistance band near prior highs.

The week in Bitcoin

Level
Role
Why it matters into the reopen

$64,700
Primary support zone
Area defended during the weekend shock; a hold keeps the rebound thesis intact.

$65,400
First reclaim
Reclaiming it turns a bounce into a trend-resumption attempt.

$63,800
Breakdown shelf
A loss shifts focus to lower supports and raises odds of deeper stop cascades.

$62,850
Deeper support
Failure would increase attention on a broader move toward round-number support.

$69,270 to $70,730
Resistance band
Zone that would require sustained risk appetite and constructive ETF flow prints.

A contained-escalation path keeps the focus on whether bitcoin holds roughly $64,700 into the U.S. reopen and then recaptures $65,400.

That would put the $69,000 to $70,000 area back in play if ETF flow data stays constructive.

A more adverse path is tied to energy.

If crude gaps higher and stays bid, the market’s first reaction often runs through higher inflation pricing, firmer yields, and a stronger dollar, a mix that can pressure bitcoin even if the initial selloff already occurred.

In that case, a move below about $63,800 would concentrate attention on $62,850.

Broader round-number support becomes the next reference point if those shelves fail.

The post Bitcoin recovers instantly after Iran war crashes price but one Monday number could flip the next move appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Filed under: Bitcoin - @ February 28, 2026 7:35 pm