Weekend panics followed by Monday reversals have become the norm in 2026, and the action of the last 48 hours has continued that pattern.
A drop of about 4% from late Saturday to early Monday on news that US Vice President JD Vance had left Pakistan without a peace deal with Iran and President Trump’s order to block the Strait of Hormuz, bitcoin. erased those losses in U.S. stocks on Monday.
Priced at $73,400 when US stocks closed the day, bitcoin is up more than 3% in the past 24 hours. Ether (ETH), solana (SOL), and XRP (XRP) were also in the green, although they posted slightly smaller gains than BTC.
The top crypto-related stocks were Circle (CRCL), up 11%, Gemini (GEMI), up 9%, and MARA Holdings (MARA) and Bullish (BLSH), each up just over 8%.
In traditional markets, the Nasdaq rose 1.2% and WTI crude oil had retreated to $98 a barrel after topping $105 at one point on Sunday.
There is no respite in the strategy
Away from the troubles of the Middle East, Michael Saylor Strategy (MSTR) continues to hoover up bitcoins at a dizzying pace. Last week, the company purchased 13,927 BTC for $1 billion. Interestingly, Saylor and his team issued not common stock to finance the purchases, but rather $1 billion in STRC preferred stock, which yields 11.5%.
Today’s action in STRC suggests more major buying is coming this week. Monday’s volume on STRC (when verified just before 3 pm ET) was a record $770 million. With the stock continuing to trade at par, it suggests considerable additional issuance by Strategy and thus larger bitcoin purchases.
