Bitcoin surges above $68,000 amid muted stock market reaction to Iran war

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Bitcoin surges above $68,000 amid muted stock market reaction to Iran war At their worst levels, U.S. stock index futures had been down more than 2%, but equity markets are barely lower one hour into Monday's trading session. By Stephen Alpher , James Van Straten | Edited by Stephen Alpher Mar 2, 2026, 3:32 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Bitcoin gains on Monday despite Iran war (Midjourney/Modified by CoinDesk) Crypto prices are rebounding from their worst weekend levels in early U.S. trading on Monday alongside a sizable bounce in U.S. equity indices. Roughly one hour into the session, the Nasdaq is down just 0.1% after futures at one point overnight had indicated a plunge of more than 2%. The S&P 500 and DJIA are also posting just very modest losses. Bitcoin BTC $ 66,352.16 has moved up to $68,600, ahead 2.3% over the past 24 hours. Ether (ETH) is higher by 1.4%, with solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) up similar amounts. Crypto-related stocks are posting even larger gains, led by Circle's (CRCL) 12% advance. Strategy (MSTR) is higher by 6% and Galaxy Digital (GLXY) by 4.7%. On the macro side, the ISM manufacturing PMI came in at 52.4, marking another month of sector expansion and the first consecutive run of expansions since the fourth quarter of 2022. This follows Friday’s Chicago Business Barometer, which rose to 57.7 in February 2026 from 54 previously, well above expectations of 52.8. The reading signals only the second expansion since November 2023 and reflects the strongest pace of US activity growth since May 2022. Against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East, reaccelerating manufacturing activity, hotter-than-expected PPI data last week, and higher oil prices driven by geopolitical tensions, a March rate cut now appears effectively off the table ahead of the Federal Reserve’s March 18 meeting. Bitcoin News Breaking News top news More For You Strategy purchased more than $200 million in bitcoin last week By James Van Straten | Edited by Stephen Alpher 2 hours ago The latest purchase, funded through common and preferred stock sales, lifted total holdings to 720,737 coins valued at more than $47 billion. What to know : Strategy purchased 3,015 bitcoin last week for approximately $204.1 million. The company now holds 720,737 bitcoin acquired for about $54.77 billion. The average purchase price across all holdings stands at roughly $75,985 per coin. Read full story Latest Crypto News Tom Lee's Bitmine boosts ether holdings to 4.47 million tokens with $98 million ETH purchase 22 minutes ago EU banks’ euro-pegged stablecoin in talks with crypto exchanges to ensure liquidity 55 minutes ago CoinDesk 20 performance update: NEAR Protocol (NEAR) jumps 12.4% over weekend 1 hour ago Iranian crypto outflows jump 700% minutes after U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, Elliptic says 1 hour ago Turkey's ruling party unveils 10% crypto income tax proposal 1 hour ago Strategy purchased more than $200 million in bitcoin last week 2 hours ago Top Stories Battered bitcoin could find solace in war-led 'debasement' trade 3 hours ago SpaceX’s $780 million bitcoin stack now down to about $545 million ahead of IPO filing Mar 1, 2026 Polymarket attracts record trading 'world' volumes as U.S.-Iran bets top $529 million Mar 1, 2026 U.S. equity futures fall in pre-market trading as oil, gold retreat from highs 4 hours ago Iran crisis puts the regime's $7.8 billion crypto shadow economy in spotlight Feb 28, 2026 Hyperliquid's HYPE token jumps 5% as Iran war brings windfall revenue, JUP gains on supply freeze 10 hours ago In this article BTC BTC $ 66,352.16 ◢ 0.22 %