Bitcoin | Crypto

The average block time at publication is about 9.8 minutes, falling slightly short of the 10-minute block target, according to CoinWarz. The Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty, the relative challenge of adding new blocks to the BTC blockchain, fell on Saturday, amid public mining companies selling record amounts of BTC to cover operating expenses. The Bitcoin mining difficulty fell to about 135.5 T, a modest decrease of about 1.1% over the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinWarz. Mining difficulty is also projected to increase in the next adjustment period. CoinWarz said: Bitcoin miners have faced mounting challenges over the past year, as reduced block rewards, rising energy prices, a crypto bear market and geopolitical shocks create economic headwinds for miners.  Read more

Kevin Warsh is set to become the first Federal Reserve chair with disclosed crypto holdings, and the first whose policy instincts could still squeeze the sector harder than his predecessors. Most Americans don't follow Fed personnel drama closely, but they feel its aftershocks every month through mortgage rates, savings yields, and the temperature of equity […] The post Why Kevin Warsh should become Bitcoin’s most impactful Fed chair yet appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Iran's Friday announcement that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened during the current ceasefire triggered one of the sharpest oil reversals of the year. Brent crude fell 12.95% to $86.52, and WTI dropped 14.26% to $81.19, both their lowest levels since Mar. 11 and the largest single-day declines since Apr. 8. US stocks surged, […] The post Bitcoin now has just 4 days before ceasefire deadline risks price reversal with Hormuz closed again appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Quantum computing has long served as Bitcoin’s most cinematic threat. It has the right ingredients for a high-drama warning, strange machines, broken cryptography, and the possibility of a future rewrite of digital trust. Yet the greater danger facing Bitcoin today looks far more ordinary and far more commercial. It is artificial intelligence, and the pressure […] The post New research shows Bitcoin must retake $80k or risk BTC miner shut down in competition with $4B in AI revenue appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin rallied hard after Iran said it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Bitcoin hit the highest level since February, oil prices dropped, Wall Street notched another record, and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.24%. But here’s the catch: markets acted as if the reopening had solved the core standoff […] The post All eyes on Bitcoin this weekend as Iran is already disputing the US narrative on the Hormuz deal appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Rep. Sheri Biggs purchased up to $250,000 worth of BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF last month, padding a position she entered into last July.

Nearly a billion dollars in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours as the Bitcoin price rallied above $78,000. Bitcoin (BTC) rallied above $78,000 to hit another 10-week high on Friday as crypto and equity markets reacted to cooling tensions in the US and Israel war in Iran. The rally above range highs also resulted in a large liquidation of leveraged Bitcoin positions. More than $660 million in short positions were liquidated, with Bitcoin accounting for $353 million of that total. Ether (ETH) followed with $160 million in short liquidations. Related: Three things Bitcoin must do to hold highs above $76K: Analysts Read more

Bitcoin climbed toward $80,000 after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was fully open to commercial traffic for the remainder of the ceasefire period, easing pressure on one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints and triggering a broader risk-on move across markets. The largest cryptocurrency rose 5% on the news to as high as […] The post Bitcoin price jumps towards $80,000 after Strait of Hormuz shipping route declared open appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin spiked above $77,000 as stock indices set records, following word that Iran's Strait of Hormuz is open during the ceasefire.

Bitcoin price rallied above $77,000 amid cooling geopolitical tensions and record-high back-to-back closes for the S&P 500. Bitcoin (BTC) refreshed February highs on Friday as attention focused on the upcoming weekly close and a longer-term rally to $88,000. Key points: Bitcoin hits its highest levels in ten weeks as markets abandon geopolitical nerves. Read more

Bitcoin surged above $77,000 as oil futures fell 10% after Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz open for the remainder of the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. Update (4.17.26 6:43 PM UTC): This article has been updated to reflect updated BTC prices and rally data. Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial vessel traffic for the remainder of the current ceasefire, prompting quick market reactions. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a Friday X post. Read more

Analysts say reclaiming $76,000, sustained spot market buy volume and consistent inflows to the Bitcoin ETFs are the necessary components required for a rally to new highs. Bitcoin (BTC) struggles to reclaim price highs above $76,000, but analysts say that the uptrend may continue if key conditions are met. Bitcoin’s 8% climb over the last three days saw it reclaim key levels, including the 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) at $71,000. “$76K is the level that decides everything,” analyst Crypto Patel said in a Wednesday post on X, adding: Read more

Bitcoin price has entered the breakout stage of a classic bullish reversal pattern and is now eyeing a run toward $90,000. Bitcoin (BTC) appears on track to hit $90,000 in the coming weeks as whales accumulated about 20 times the cryptocurrency’s daily new supply in the past weeks. Key takeaways: Whales bought roughly 270,000 BTC in the past 30 days. Read more

Bitcoin consolidates between $73,000 and $75,000 as liquidations trigger a short squeeze, but weak spot demand keeps the upside momentum in check. Bitcoin (BTC) traded between $75,000 and $73,000 over a three-hour period during the New York market open on Thursday, and the abrupt downside move liquidated $283 million in futures positions. The resulting short squeeze pushed BTC back toward $75,000, but sustaining the rebound will require steady buying volume in the spot market. A sharp move lower to $73,200 from $75,400 triggered a wave of long liquidations across the futures markets, totaling to $166 million, according to market commentator CryptoReviewing. The price then reversed quickly, pushing back toward $75,000 and liquidating roughly $117 million in short positions, highlighting a rapid two-sided squeeze within the same trading window. Read more

Bitcoin’s futures funding rate has remained negative even as BTC bounced back above $75,000. Should traders be worried? Key takeaways: Negative Bitcoin futures funding rates signal bear-market losses and forced liquidations rather than a shift in sentiment.  Institutional inflows into Bitcoin ETFs and corporate accumulation suggest that spot demand remains solid. Read more

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says "it's not possible" to save all vulnerable Bitcoin from quantum computing under the current proposal.

Bitcoin has spent much of 2026 moving between recovery attempts and macro shocks, yet one part of the market has kept moving in a single direction. Large holders have been buying. On April 16, Bitfinex highlighted CryptoQuant data showing whales accumulated 270,000 BTC over the previous 30 days, the largest buying spree since 2013, while […] The post Bitcoin whales just bought the most BTC since 2013 – so why is the price stuck below $80,000? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Traders say Bitcoin has room to rally higher, but the upside could be capped at BTC’s active supply cost basis near $78,000. Market analysts said Bitcoin’s (BTC) latest rally to $76,000 was a “clear momentum shift,” confirming a short-term uptrend for BTC price.  Bitcoin’s short-term holder (STH) supply in profit, a measure of the share of recently acquired coins currently held at an unrealized gain, suggests that BTC/USD has not exhausted its bear market rally, data from Glassnode shows. Local tops in bear market rallies have historically formed when this metric approaches its statistical mean of 54.2%, a threshold where the concentration of profitable STHs becomes sufficient to trigger meaningful distribution. Read more

Schwab will introduce direct trading in the two biggest cryptos through a dedicated account, its first move into spot trading as it expands its digital asset offerings. Charles Schwab, one of the largest US brokerage firms, will roll out spot cryptocurrency trading for retail clients in the coming weeks, starting with Bitcoin and Ether through a dedicated account linked to its brokerage platform. According to Thursday’s announcement, the offering will allow clients to trade and view crypto alongside stocks and other assets across Schwab’s web, mobile and Thinkorswim platforms, with custody held by its banking unit and execution handled through a partnership with Paxos, a federally regulated trust company. Schwab reported $12.22 trillion in total client assets as of February 2026, according to its latest filings, and operates as a brokerage providing trading, banking and wealth management services. Read more

Bitcoin trades below the profitability threshold for active holders, with early signs of BTC demand offering limited price support for now. Bitcoin (BTC) hit range highs above $76,000 on Wednesday, but Glassnode analysts say data suggest that calling for the start of a new bull market is premature.  New capital inflows have stayed weak, with Bitcoin’s growth rate remaining negative across all 105 trading days in 2026, highlighting a gap between stable price action and limited new demand. Glassnode analyst CryptoViz.art uses the true market mean (TMM) to estimate the average cost basis of active BTC investors. The metric divides investor capitalization by liveliness-adjusted circulating supply, filtering out inactive coins and the lost supply. Read more