Bitcoin reclaims $69,000 as ceasefire talks surface and crypto shorts get squeezed

A report that the U.S. and Iran are discussing a 45-day ceasefire lifted risk assets across the board on Monday, with short liquidations outpacing longs nearly 3-to-1 in the past 12 hours.

What to know:

• Bitcoin jumped about 3 percent to roughly $69,000, its highest level in more than a week, as traders returned from the Easter break and covered heavily skewed short positions.
• The rally, sparked by reports of talks over a potential 45-day Iran ceasefire and easing concerns about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, lifted major tokens and pushed the total crypto market value back above $2.5 trillion.
• Despite the sharp bounce and a squeeze of nearly $200 million in short positions, bitcoin remains confined to its recent $65,000 to $73,000 war range, with key resistance levels still overhead and the outlook hinging on whether a ceasefire deal materializes.

Bitcoin jumped 3% to $69,120 on Monday as traders returned from the Easter weekend to a burst of optimism around a potential Iran ceasefire, pushing the largest cryptocurrency to its highest level in over a week and squeezing $196 million in short positions over the past 24 hours.

Ether led a bump among major tokens with a 3.7% gain to $2,130, its strongest daily move in the past week. SOL rose 2% to $82, XRP added 2.2% to $1.34, and dogecoin climbed 1.7% to $0.093. The broad rally pushed the total crypto market cap back above $2.5 trillion.

The catalyst was an Axios report that the U.S., Iran, and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the six-week-old conflict.

Reports that more ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz added to the relief, even as Trump issued increasingly aggressive threats to destroy Iran's power plants starting Tuesday.

The liquidation data tells the story of how the market was positioned heading into the weekend.

Of the $273.8 million in total 24-hour liquidations across 81,819 traders, shorts accounted for $196.7 million versus $77.1 million in longs, a ratio of nearly 3-to-1 that indicates traders were heavily positioned for further downside after last week's sentiment collapse. The largest single liquidation was a $10.17 million ETH-USDT short on Binance.

Bitcoin's 24-hour range stretched from $66,634 to $69,350, a $2,700 swing that caught the worst of the short positioning.

The move came after Santiment data over the weekend showed social media sentiment had hit its most bearish skew since the war began, with five negative posts for every four positive ones. As is often the case in crypto, the most bearish sentiment reading of the cycle produced the sharpest bounce.

The move reclaims the top of bitcoin's five-week war range but does not break it. The $65,000 to $73,000 channel that has contained every rally and selloff since the conflict began remains intact.

Resistance levels at $71,500 and $81,200, corresponding to the Lower Band and Trader On-chain Realized Price indicators as tracked in a CoinDesk report, sit overhead as the next meaningful tests if the ceasefire momentum holds.

Whether this rally has more substance than the last three depends entirely on whether the 45-day ceasefire materializes or becomes another headline that gets walked back within 48 hours.

More For You

Most crypto privacy models weaken as blockchain data grows. Encryption-based models like Zcash strengthen. CoinDesk Research maps the five privacy approaches and examines the widening gap.

Why it matters:

As blockchain adoption scales, the metadata available to machine learning models scales with it. Obfuscation-based privacy approaches are structurally degrading as a result. This report provides a comprehensive comparison of all five major crypto privacy architectures and a framework for evaluating which models remain durable as AI capabilities improve.

More For You

Rising volume and steady support near $1.30 suggest buyers are active, though XRP remains tied to broader crypto sentiment.

What to know:

• XRP is trading in a tight range above $1.30, with modest gains and rising volume but no decisive breakout.
• Price action shows higher lows forming near $1.30 while repeated selling pressure around $1.33 keeps the token capped.
• Traders see the $1.30–$1.32 zone as key support and the $1.33–$1.35 area as...

XRP drifts higher to $1.33, but range-bound trade still dominates

8 minutes ago

Bitcoin meltdown to $10,000 remains likely unless prices reclaim $75,000, analyst says

1 hour ago

A simple explainer on what quantum computing actually is, and why it is terrifying for bitcoin

9 hours ago

Polymarket pulls controversial Iran rescue markets after intense backlash

10 hours ago

Bitcoin is now front-running the Fed rather than reacting to it. ETFs are the cause

14 hours ago

AI is making crypto's security problem even worse, Ledger CTO warns

16 hours ago

Drift says $270 million exploit was a six-month North Korean intelligence operation

17 hours ago

Traders are the big winners as 24/7 stocks will finally end the after-hours price 'manipulation'

Apr 4, 2026

Solana's quantum-threat readiness reveals harsh tradeoff: security vs speed

Apr 4, 2026

Bitcoin's $1.3 trillion security race: Key initiatives aimed at quantum-proofing the world's largest blockchain

Apr 5, 2026

Ex-UK Chancellor backs bitcoin as alternative to failing systems

Apr 4, 2026

Here's what 'cracking' bitcoin in 9 minutes by quantum computers actually means

Apr 4, 2026