August 26th, 2026

Bitcoin touched US$81,000: Was that a rally or a forced repricing?

Bitcoin just reminded the world why it remains the most volatile macro asset of this era. In less than a week, the coin climbed from below US$65,000 to above US$81,000, a gain of more than 25 per cent that marks its highest level since mid-May, and one report even frames the move as a 28 per cent rally.

I have covered many advances in crypto, and this one stands apart because it did not grow from slow accumulation. It grew from forced buying. Buyers squeezed every bearish position they could find, and the result is a settled but still confident market, with Bitcoin trading at US$78,928.79, up a modest 0.22 per cent over the past 24 hours.

The squeeze in numbers

The anatomy of the squeeze reads like a textbook. As price broke US$80,000, derivatives trackers show the market wiped US$260 million in Bitcoin shorts within four hours, and one analysis counts about US$650 million in shorts across all crypto assets in a single day.

Another tally puts Bitcoin short liquidations over 24 hours at around US$282 million, which accounts for about 62 per cent of all crypto short wipes. These numbers tell a simple story. Traders bet against the breakout with borrowed money, but the price refused to stop, and exchanges closed those bets at a loss. Each closure forced a buy order into the market, and each buy order pushed price into the next cluster of bets. That feedback loop, not organic demand alone, carried Bitcoin to its strongest peak in months.

Scarcity meets a cooling tape

The charts now display a market that has steadied after the violence. Bitcoin trades at US$78,928.79 with a market capitalisation of US$1.58 trillion, and its 24-hour trading volume of US$46.62 billion fell 16.45 per cent as the burst exhausted some participants.

The latest daily candle records a high of US$81,235.03 and a low of US$77,872.52, indicating the market tested the breakout zone before stepping back. Supply data adds weight to the bull argument. The circulating supply already stands at 20.07 million coins, out of a hard cap of 21 million, and treasury holdings account for 1.34 million Bitcoin.

The fully diluted valuation totals US$1.65 trillion, and the volume-to-market cap ratio of 2.94 per cent indicates active but not panicked turnover. An asset that has already issued almost all of its coins leaves little room for new supply to absorb waves of forced or institutional buying.

The macro backdrop

No such move happens in a vacuum, and this one arrived with a powerful macro tailwind. The United States Treasury decided to roughly double its long-term bond buybacks from about US$2 billion to at least US$4 billion per operation, and many investors interpreted that decision as a sign of growing fiscal stress. The reaction followed a familiar pattern.

The dollar weakened, and capital moved into scarce assets, a shift that one Asian business daily described as money leaving the dollar. Gold advanced to levels unseen in months, near US$4,700 an ounce, and Bitcoin joined it as the other major asset with a capped supply. I see this part of the rally as the most durable because it does not depend on leverage. It grows out of governments that keep expanding their debts and investors who keep searching for assets that those governments cannot print.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs contributed a second layer of real demand. Nearly US$2 billion entered these funds over five days, and this flow amplified the impact of forced short covering. Futures traders triggered the first buys, and ETF issuers then had to source coins for their creations. When two types of buyers chase the same limited supply, prices move fast.

Ethereum and the broader complex

The rest of the crypto market followed the leader, yet with a slightly tired posture. Ethereum now trades at US$2,454.44 after a 0.95 per cent dip over the past 24 hours, and its chart mirrors Bitcoin’s pattern, with a rise from the US$1,600 zone to a recent high of US$2,529.99. Its market capitalisation stands at US$296.2 billion, and its 24-hour trading volume of US$17.56 billion fell 23.85 per cent, a sharper drop than Bitcoin printed.

Its fully diluted valuation of US$296.21 billion nearly matches its market cap because Ethereum has no hard cap, and its volume-to-market cap ratio of 5.92 per cent suggests higher churn than Bitcoin. I read Ethereum as a useful gauge of risk appetite. Ethereum still holds its number-two rank and a perfect profile score, but the fading volume suggests that traders now follow Bitcoin for the next directional cue.

The levels that decide the next move

The road ahead has clear signposts. Bitcoin now faces a resistance band from US$80,000 to US$82,000, which roughly coincides with the upper end of its previous May trading range. Analysts cite thin historical supply up to about US$84,000 to US$85,000, so a clean break above current resistance could produce another fast leg higher. The risk works in the other direction too.

If buyers fail to hold the coin above US$80,000, the market could consolidate back toward the high US$70,000s. Positioning data complicates the outlook because the advance mixed short liquidation with fresh long futures exposure. Those new longs support continuation, but they also create fuel for another sharp flush if macro data or ETF flows fade. The next US inflation report and the bond market’s reaction are the most likely catalysts for either an extension or a mean reversion.

My view

My view is that this rally carries more substance than a pure squeeze, yet it also brings real fragility. The combination of a US$260 million short wipe inside four hours, a US$4 billion bond buyback programme, gold at US$4,700, and US$2 billion of ETF inflows over five days forms a coherent macro picture rather than a random spike.

If Bitcoin holds above the high US$70,000s and digests selling near US$80,000 to US$82,000, I would call this a meaningful regime shift. If fiscal worries or fund flows reverse, the same leverage that fuelled the spike will deepen the pullback. Either way, the coming weeks reward traders who watch funding rates, ETF flows, and the US$80,000 line with equal attention.

Meanwhile, let’s wait for the Asian markets to open. I will continue to monitor the situation.

Source: https://e27.co/bitcoin-touched-us81000-was-that-a-rally-or-a-forced-repricing-20260826/

Anndy Lian

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com

j j j

August 6th, 2026

Bitcoin’s 73% correlation with gold forces investors to rethink crypto

Global financial markets closed mixed heading into August 6, 2026, as a historic blue-chip rally collided with a cooldown in technology stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 0.49 per cent to 54,349.92 and marked a third straight record close on solid corporate earnings. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.83 per cent to 26,359.67 as warnings from newly listed SpaceX and declines in semiconductor names snapped a four-day winning streak.

The benchmark S&P 500 edged down 0.17 per cent to 7,723.19 as traders pocketed profits. This divergence highlights a profound shift in investor appetite as capital rotates away from growth stocks toward stable value equities. Market participants clearly recognise the need to balance their portfolios during times of sector-specific volatility.

That profit-taking tone tells us a lot about the current mood on Wall Street. Investors clearly want to stay invested, but they also want to lock in gains. The result is a trading tape where cyclicals carry the baton while technology rests. The S&P 500 pullback looks gentle because it follows a strong run and reads as healthy digestion. The Dow drew strength from corporate profitability, and this environment explains why traders seek alternative stores of value.

When traditional growth sectors stall, market participants look for uncorrelated assets to protect their portfolios. This rotation dynamic pushes capital into the digital asset space, where specific tokens exhibit strong inflation-hedging characteristics. The capital rotation is a highly rational response to shifting macroeconomic conditions across the broader financial landscape.

Bitcoin consolidated gains, adding 0.89 per cent to US$64,547.12. The gain slightly outpaced the 0.79 per cent rise in total crypto market value, so the token showed independent strength. The most fascinating metric is the 73 per cent correlation between the leading cryptocurrency and gold. This high correlation indicates that institutional buyers now view the digital asset primarily as a macro-driven inflation hedge. The direct source of this buying pressure sits in the exchange-traded fund complex.

United States spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted US$211.49 million in net inflows on August 4, following US$170.1 million in inflows on August 3. BlackRock captured US$170.35 million of the August 4 total through its IBIT product. These figures mark a clear recovery from outflows in late July and show that large institutions have returned to absorb selling pressure. I consider this specific inflow data as the most critical fundamental indicator right now.

The leading cryptocurrency is trading above its 7-day simple moving average at US$63,699.82 and its 30-day simple moving average at US$64,118.46. The asset also remains above the 200-week simple moving average near US$63,777. This specific long-term average serves as a crucial structural floor, as it has historically marked deep accumulation phases. The 50 per cent Fibonacci retracement at US$64,201.36 now serves as the immediate line in the sand for short-term traders.

Buyers must defend this specific retracement level to maintain the current upward trajectory. The market structure remains incredibly constructive as long as the price respects these foundational moving averages. This technical setup is a coiled spring waiting for a fundamental spark to release stored energy and push valuations higher.

The immediate direction hinges on a concrete regulatory event in Washington. The United States Senate plans to vote on the CLARITY Act before its August recess. A positive legislative outcome would give institutions the regulatory framework they desire and likely accelerate the current inflow momentum. As long as the price holds above the US$64,200 support level, the path of least resistance points towards a retest of the US$66,910 swing high.

A break below US$63,562, which represents the 61.8 per cent Fibonacci level, would open the door to a deeper correction toward US$62,000. The trigger for the next major move relies heavily on this upcoming Senate vote. My bias here leans bullish because the inflow data and the technical floor both point higher, but true conviction awaits a clear legislative signal. Sustained daily ETF inflows above US$100 million would further confirm a durable recovery in institutional demand.

Ethereum tells an even stronger fundamental story, adding 2.23 per cent to US$1,908.26 and outpacing both the leading cryptocurrency and the broader market. The network staking ratio reached a record 34.4 per cent on August 4, locking approximately 40 million tokens away from public exchanges. Removing that much supply from the open market creates a massive structural tailwind for price appreciation.

Large investors are clearly buying the dip, as wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 tokens accumulated a net 130,000 tokens last week. This whale accumulation signals deep confidence in the underlying network economics. The combination of reduced liquid supply and aggressive activity by large buyers creates a highly supportive fundamental backdrop that sets this rally apart from previous speculative spikes. I find these on-chain metrics incredibly compelling because they reflect actual network usage rather than fleeting retail momentum.

The price action confirms this bullish on-chain intent, as the asset broke above its 30-day simple moving average at US$1,881.14 amid a 23.28 per cent surge in trading volume. Volume of that magnitude separates a genuine breakout from a mere drift higher. Narrative tailwinds also help drive this outperformance. The broader Layer 1 category posted a 0.86 per cent gain in market value as capital rotated heavily into the sector.

BlackRock also filed to implement a 1-for-3 reverse share split for its iShares Ethereum Trust ETF effective October 6. This structural change should tighten trading spreads and make the product more accessible to a wider range of traditional investors. The convergence of strong technical momentum, positive sector sentiment, and impending institutional product enhancements creates a highly favourable environment for continued upside.

Every asset class currently waits for its own specific catalyst, and this compression phase rewards patient observers who watch the legislative calendar and daily flow data. Watch the market like a hawk. Your opportunity may be around the corner.

Source: https://e27.co/bitcoins-73-correlation-with-gold-forces-investors-to-rethink-crypto-20260806/

Anndy Lian

www.anndy.com

j j j

July 31st, 2026

The market finally exhaled, Ethereum turned 11: The question is whether it can hold its breath again

The crypto space climbed 1.1 per cent to US$2.21 trillion in the last 24 hours. What caught my eye first was where the demand concentrated. Layer 1 tokens led the charge, with the category gaining 1.45 per cent and outperforming the broader landscape. Ethereum and Solana dominated social media conversations, and the timing was no accident. Ethereum celebrated its 11th anniversary on the same day, and posts commemorating the mainnet launch generated a wave of bullish energy across trading communities.

This was not some manufactured hype cycle. People were genuinely reflecting on what Ethereum has built over more than a decade, and that reflective mood translated into real purchasing activity. Capital rotated into these core protocol assets in a way that signals a risk-on shift within crypto itself, not just a mindless beta play riding external momentum. I find that encouraging because it suggests participants are making deliberate allocation choices rather than simply chasing whatever ticks up first.

The supporting conditions around this advance also tell a compelling story. Bitcoin liquidations plunged 62 per cent over 24 hours to just US$22.55 million. Read that number again. When forced selling dries up to that degree, it removes a persistent ceiling that had previously capped attempts at prolonged upward movement.

Traders who might have been squeezed out of positions simply were not there to create that downward weight. The market had room to breathe, and it used that room effectively. A cleaner base with less leverage hanging over it gives any climb more legitimacy, and I believe we are watching exactly that unfold.

No honest assessment of this session can ignore the macro backdrop, because crypto did not advance in isolation. The correlation between digital assets and the S&P 500 hit 76 per cent over the past 24 hours, while the correlation with Gold reached 79 per cent. Those are high numbers, and they confirm this was a broad, macro-driven rotation rather than something unique to the blockchain world. Wall Street rebounded with force after a bruising stretch.

The Nasdaq jumped 2.8 per cent to snap a six-day losing streak. The S&P 500 climbed 1.7 per cent to 7,437.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 613.92 points, or 1.2 per cent, to close at 52,208.06. Microsoft alone skyrocketed 16 per cent after robust cloud and Azure results eased investor anxiety over artificial intelligence spending, adding a record US$450 billion in market value in one session.

Chip stocks followed suit, with Micron Technology soaring 18 per cent and Advanced Micro Devices climbing over 13 per cent. Across the Pacific, South Korea’s Kospi Index rocketed by up to 15 per cent in a historic intraday rebound powered by SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped over 5 per cent.

When traditional markets rally with that kind of determination, crypto benefits from the improved liquidity environment, and pretending otherwise would be intellectually dishonest. I view this correlation as a positive for now because it means digital assets are participating in a genuine global risk-on rotation rather than floating untethered from reality.

Looking ahead, the technical picture presents a clear test. The total market cap sits right at the US$2.21 trillion pivot point, and the immediate hurdle is the 23.6 per cent Fibonacci level at US$2.23 trillion, with a stronger barrier at the recent swing high of US$2.26 trillion.

If buyers can push through that zone, the advance gains real credibility. If they cannot, we likely return to the range-bound trading that has defined recent weeks. For Ethereum specifically, analysts point to US$1,975 as the key breakout level that could open a path toward US$2,300. I will be watching that threshold closely because a decisive reclaim there would confirm the anniversary-driven enthusiasm has legs beyond a single news cycle.

One event looms large over the next 24 hours and could inject significant volatility into the picture. Over US$10.5 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum options expire on July 31. That is an enormous notional amount, and an expiry of this magnitude has historically created sharp price swings as market makers adjust their hedges and positions roll over.

The climb we witnessed could either accelerate through expiry as bullish positioning reinforces itself, or it could stall and reverse as profit-taking meets the mechanical selling that large expiries often generate. I lean toward the former given the reduced liquidation environment, but I would not bet the house on it.

My overall read is cautiously bullish, and I use the word cautiously deliberately. The ingredients for a lasting push higher are present. Narrative-driven demand in Layer 1 tokens gives the run a story and a reason to exist beyond pure speculation. The macro backdrop broadly supports risk assets.

Leverage has flushed out, leaving a healthier structure underneath. But translating one good day into a trend requires follow-through, and the US$2.23 trillion to US$2.26 trillion barrier will demand exactly that. Social mood can ignite a move, but only continued capital inflow can carry it through meaningful overhead supply.

All things considered, this session felt like the market exhaling after holding its breath for too long. The combination of Ethereum’s milestone, Solana’s continued relevance, a dramatic drop in forced selling, and a powerful global equity rebound created conditions where buyers finally had permission to step in. Whether they maintain that confidence through a massive options expiry and into next week remains the open question. But for now, the tape looks constructive, the narrative feels organic, and the macro winds are at our backs.

Source: https://e27.co/the-market-finally-exhaled-ethereum-turned-11-the-question-is-whether-it-can-hold-its-breath-again-20260731/