NEW YORK, Jan 5, 2026, 13:41 EST — Regular session
- Bitcoin was up about 3.3% near $94,161 in afternoon trading, lifting U.S.-listed crypto stocks.
- Coinbase rose about 7.6% after a Goldman Sachs upgrade; Strategy disclosed fresh bitcoin purchases in an SEC filing.
- Traders are weighing Venezuela fallout and looking ahead to U.S. jobs data due Friday.
Bitcoin rose 3.3% to $94,161 by early afternoon on Monday, and crypto-linked stocks climbed with it. Coinbase gained 7.6% and Strategy added 2.9%, while miners Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms were up about 5.7% and 2.7%, respectively.
The rebound came as investors weighed heightened geopolitical risk after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend operation. The move has sparked legal and diplomatic backlash and revived concern over spillovers into energy markets and broader risk appetite. 1
Bitcoin is starting 2026 on firmer footing after dropping 6.4% in 2025, with some traders pointing to early-year repositioning after last quarter’s volatility. A run of U.S. economic data this week, led by December’s nonfarm payrolls report, is also shaping expectations for the Federal Reserve’s path. 2
Coinbase’s move was amplified by an analyst call. Goldman Sachs upgraded the exchange to buy from neutral and set a $303 price target, arguing Coinbase is becoming less dependent on trading fees and more tied to steadier crypto infrastructure revenue, an Investing.com report said. Robinhood, which Goldman also favored, rose 5.6%. 3
Strategy, a major corporate holder of bitcoin, disclosed more purchases. In a Jan. 5 SEC filing, the company said it bought 1,283 bitcoin between Jan. 1 and Jan. 4 for $116.0 million and held 673,783 coins as of Jan. 4, with the purchases funded through an at-the-market share-sale program. Strategy also reported a $5.40 billion unrealized loss on digital assets for 2025 and said its U.S. dollar reserve was $2.25 billion. 4
Crypto markets can lurch when leverage unwinds, forcing traders to close positions at a loss — a process known as liquidations. About $255 million in such liquidations were triggered as bitcoin pushed higher, Decrypt reported, citing CoinGlass data. Derek Lim, head of research at crypto market-maker Caladan, said the Venezuela episode “renders the geopolitical situation a little more shaky.” 5
Traders are watching whether bitcoin can hold above the $92,000-$94,000 band that has capped prices at points since late December. Flows into spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds — products that hold bitcoin and trade like a stock — remain a day-to-day gauge of institutional appetite.
Broader tokens were also higher. Ether rose 2.4% to $3,207, and XRP climbed 8.2% to $2.25.
But the rally is vulnerable if geopolitics spill into a broader flight from risky assets, or if U.S. data reprice the outlook for rates and push yields higher. Crypto markets trade around the clock and remain prone to liquidity-driven pullbacks that can hit crypto-linked shares harder than the underlying token.
Oil and precious metals signaled the same unease on Monday: Brent crude was up about 1.6% and spot gold gained 2.7% as traders assessed Venezuela’s upheaval. The next scheduled catalyst is Friday’s U.S. Employment Situation report for December, due at 8:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 9. 6
