Bitcoin holds near $67K as crypto markets stay muted; volatility seen rising ahead

Bitcoin is holding near the $67,000 mark after two consecutive days of losses as broader risk assets remain under pressure amid rising concerns about a potential escalation in the conflict involving Iran. The cryptocurrency was trading at $66,871 mark.

Over the past 24 hours, Bitcoin rose 0.34%, while Ethereum fell 0.18% to trade at the $2,050 level. Among the major altcoins, BNB, Solana, Tron, Dogecoin, Hyperliquid, and Cardano gained up to 1.07%, while XRP slipped 0.32%. The global crypto market capitalisation went up 0.36% to $2.31 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Also Read | SIP or lumpsum? Expert suggests best approach for first-time mutual fund investors with Rs 10,000Piyush Walke, Derivatives Research Analyst, Delta Exchange, said Crypto markets were subdued on Friday, with no major price movements. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum traded largely sideways, while implied volatilities continued to bottom out. Such conditions are often followed by a period of heightened volatility ahead.From a technical perspective, sellers would need to push prices below $65K to open the door for a deeper decline toward $60K. On the upside, any meaningful recovery would require a move above $69K, reclaiming the 50-day SMA and breaking back into the lower band of the rising channel, Walke added.

In the past week, Bitcoin and Ethereum went up 1.01% and 3.15%, respectively. Among the major altcoins, BNB, XRP, Solana and Hyperliquid slipped up to 6.68%, whereas Tron, Dogecoin and Cardano gained up to 1.78%.WazirX Market’s Desk said the crypto market remained stable this week with reduced volatility and improving sentiment. Bitcoin traded within the $66,000–$67,000 range, holding key levels despite earlier macro pressure. Ethereum’s performance over the week was impressive, gaining around 3.7%, supported by continued ecosystem activity and capital rotation.Institutional signals turned constructive. Bitcoin ETFs recorded their first inflows since October as prices stabilised, indicating renewed demand, WazirX Market’s Desk further said.According to Binance Weekly Market Research, Bitcoin’s correlation with the Global Easing Breadth Index (GCBI) has turned negative post-ETF (2024–2026), signalling growing maturity as the market prices macro trends ahead rather than reacts to them.

“We think this reflects a shift in marginal price-setting from retail to institutions after ETFs. Since assets are priced by the marginal buyer, and institutions process macro information earlier (often 6–12 months ahead of policy moves), positioning can lead the rate cycle rather than lag it.”

Also Read | Which mutual fund should you add for 15 year SIPs? Expert breaks down multicap vs factor fundsAs a result, BTC may have evolved from a macro “lagging receiver” to a “leading pricer.” A peak in easing may already be old news for BTC, and crypto-native drivers—such as policy progress and institutional flows—could matter more than the direction of monetary easing itself, the report further said.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

If you have any mutual fund queries, message on ET Mutual Funds on Facebook/Twitter. We will get it answered by our panel of experts. Do share your questions on [email protected] alongwith your age, risk profile, and Twitter handle