NEW YORK, March 4, 2026, 17:31 (EST) — After-hours
- Bitcoin rose about 7% to around $73,300 after swinging sharply during the session.
- Risk appetite steadied on signs the Iran conflict may cool and as Trump pushed Congress on crypto rules.
- Crypto-linked stocks jumped; traders are now watching U.S. payrolls on Friday and fresh ETF flow data.
Bitcoin jumped above $73,000 on Wednesday and was last up 7.4% at $73,307, after trading as high as $73,984 earlier in the session. It fell as low as $67,501.
The rebound came as broader markets tried to settle after oil’s two-day surge cooled and equities pushed higher. “You combine all of those and it equates to a market that’s feeling further emboldened,” said Michael James, an equity sales trader at Rosenblatt Securities. Reuters
Risk appetite improved after a New York Times report said Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence reached out indirectly to the CIA to discuss terms for ending the war, Reuters reported. “We’re seeing a bit of improvement in risk sentiment across the board, mostly headline-driven,” said Eugene Epstein, head of trading and structured products at Moneycorp. Reuters
In Washington, President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to pass a crypto market-structure bill known as the Clarity Act and attacked banks for trying to stall it, Investopedia reported. The bill would set tests for whether digital tokens fall under securities or commodities rules; the fight has centered on stablecoins — dollar-linked tokens — and whether platforms can pay rewards on them. “This is likely a rally to rent rather than own,” said Sean Farrell, Fundstrat’s head of digital asset strategy, in a note. Investopedia
Flows into U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs — funds that hold bitcoin directly and trade like stocks — have also stayed positive into early March. Net inflows totaled $225.2 million on March 3, after $458.2 million on March 2, according to Farside Investors.
Crypto-linked stocks tracked the bounce. Coinbase Global closed up 14.6%, Strategy rose 10.4% and Robinhood Markets gained 8.1%, while miners Riot Platforms and MARA Holdings climbed 8.2% and 7.2%, according to market data.
Ether, the second-biggest cryptocurrency, rose 8.9% to $2,155.77.
Rate-cut expectations also stayed in focus. Fed Governor Stephen Miran said risks from the Iran conflict were “no reason” to delay rate cuts, adding: “It is difficult for me to get very excited about a policy implication” from what has happened so far. The Fed meets March 17-18 and is expected to hold rates steady. Reuters
But crypto’s sensitivity to war headlines has not disappeared. After U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, about $10.3 million left Iranian crypto exchanges between Saturday and Monday, Chainalysis said, while Elliptic flagged a sharp spike in outflows at Iran’s largest exchange, Nobitex. “Some of these flows are almost certainly ordinary Iranians moving funds,” Chainalysis said. Reuters
Banks and regulators are also still arguing about the knock-on effects of stablecoins. An ECB study said wider stablecoin use could siphon deposits from banks and that “stablecoins can reduce the amount of credit banks provide to the real economy.” Reuters
Investors now look to Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for February, expected to show 59,000 jobs added after 130,000 in January, a Reuters poll of economists showed.
For bitcoin, traders are watching whether it can hold above $70,000, the next ETF flow updates and any movement on the Clarity Act — with Iran war headlines still able to snap sentiment either way.
