The price of Bitcoin broke above $81,000 during Asian trading and early US hours today, its highest price since late January and the latest sign that the market has moved past the brutal first quarter that reached close to $60,000.
The move came on the back of several groups striking at the same time: a flood of corporate income entry into ETFs, changes in the Middle East conflict, and the derivatives market which has been raising $80,000 for several weeks.
The design plan for this was built in April. US Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $2.44 billion in net inflows last month – the strongest monthly figure since October 2025, when the Bitcoin price hit $126,000 all the time. BlackRock’s IBIT alone to be caught $1.71 billion of that total, a 70% market share that widens the gap between the fund and any other ETF in the space.
Strategy, a company led by Michael Saylor, also confirmed a large purchase of Bitcoin in April, bringing all the money to 818,334 BTC.
The geopolitical landscape played a role throughout. Iran did he says have been charging oil tankers $1 per barrel in Bitcoin to cross the Strait of Hormuz since March, a rate that the country chose in crypto because the currency is difficult to extinguish. A ship full of two million barrels makes $2 million, all on the chain.
As of Monday, Iran’s missile strike briefly pushed BTC back to $79,000, but it recovered overnight after Trump’s announcement of “Project Freedom” — a US military operation to escort merchant ships through the strait — cooled things down and sent the future down nearly 5%.
Bitcoin price support this week
The options market is about traders who saw this coming. Nomura Digital Laser known in Tuesday’s survey that the desks have made a series of lows in the past few weeks, and that a sustained break above $80,000 could cause Bitcoin’s risk to change from negative to positive.
At Deribit, a single point of interest opening for all contracts and an $80,000 call it ends on May 29, with 7,493.7 BTC behind it. Phones account for 58.69% of all open options versus 41.31% for puts, although long-term volume has increased as traders hedge against tail risk.
Two catalysts this week could push Bitcoin’s price in either direction. Strategy Effects to release today will give the market a first look at how the company issues Bitcoin at current prices, while on Friday the nonfarm payrolls report will shape expectations for the Federal Reserve’s policy this summer.
Bitcoin price is up 6.2% for the week, trading at $81,035.
