Crypto remains resilient in face of renewed Middle East tensions

Markets Crypto remains resilient in face of renewed Middle East tensions BTC rose 1.2% to $63,000 and Nasdaq futures jumped 2.6% with markets seemingly unconcerned by U.S. airstrikes on Iran. Bitcoin is now up 9% since the end of June. By Oliver Knight , Omkar Godbole | Edited by Sheldon Reback Jul 9, 2026, 10:36 a.m. 3 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Bitcoin price (CoinDesk data) Summary Show Bitcoin rose 1.2% to $63,000, ether added 0.75% and Nasdaq 100 futures gained with markets unperturbed by U.S. airstrikes on 90 Iranian military targets. LIT and ETHFI led the altcoin charge, rising 5.6% and 8.5% on Thursday to extend monthly gains to around 35%. ENA added 5.6% while remaining more than 91% below its September 2025 peak. CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season indicator ticked up one point to 47/100, but remains range-bound as investors hold back from broader altcoin exposure until the crypto majors make a more decisive recovery. The crypto market bounced back from a mid-week lull on Thursday, with bitcoin BTC $ 62,820.87 rising by 1.2% since midnight UTC to $63,000 while ether (ETH) advanced 0.75% to $1,755. The move tracked U.S. stock market gains, as Nasdaq 100 index futures added 2.6% over the past 24 hours despite the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. Central Command said it hit 90 military targets in the latest round of airstrikes, which took place 24 hours after President Donald Trump said the ceasefire was over. Markets initially sold off at the time, but crypto remained resilient, rallying from oversold territory to extend a relatively hot streak since the turn of the month. Bitcoin is now 9% higher than June's monthly close and a selection of altcoins has continued to outperform with lighter (LIT) and ether.fi (ETHFI) surging by around 35% over the same period. Derivatives positioning The crypto futures market is taking a breather, with 24-hour volume dropping almost 20% at $191 billion and open interest (OI) steady near $106 billion. Bitcoin's overnight recovery to nearly $63,000 is accompanied by a decline in open interest in major dollar and USDT-denominated futures to 266K BTC from 272K BTC. These diverging trends shows investor reluctance to take leveraged bets in such a volatile macroeconomic environment. The same is true for ether, XRP and solana. OI in Canton Network's CC token futures increased for a third straight day, with the tally rising to 271 million tokens, the most since May 31. The token continues to slide and, as noted yesterday, the concurrent increase in futures OI points to an influx of short positions or bearish bets. Activity in perpetual futures tracking the S&P 500 index is again picking up, with OI increasing to the highest since SpaceX debuted on Nasdaq nearly a month ago. BTC and ETH's 30-day implied volatility indexes are back under pressure, snapping a two-day winning streak in a sign of renewed supply of options and expectations for market calm. On Deribit, BTC and ETH puts remain pricier than calls across all time frames, reflecting downside concerns. The sentiment on Wall Street is the polar opposite: The average skew in S&P 500 stock options shows a record bias for calls, or bullish bets. Token talk LIT and ETHFI led gains on Thursday, rising by 5.6% and 8.5%, respectively, since midnight UTC to extend rallies that began last week. Ethena (ENA) also showed signs of strength, having increased by 5.6% since Wednesday's low. It's worth noting that ENA has lost more than 91% of its value since September 2025 as investors deserted the yield-generating DeFi platform. Another token that has struggled during this year's bear market has been the Donald Trump family-linked WLFI, which slipped a further 0.5% on Thursday despite the market-wide recovery. Like ENA, it is down by around 90% from its record high. CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season indicator ticked one point higher to 47/100 on Thursday, likely due to outperformance among DeFi tokens. It remains sticky at this level as investors continue to show caution until the crypto majors make a meaningful recovery. 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By CoinDesk Research Jul 7, 2026 Stablecoin market cap fell to $312B in June, its largest monthly drop since TerraUSD, while tokenized equity volumes surged 145% to a record $3.86B. Why it matters : Stablecoin market cap fell to $312B in June, its largest monthly drop since TerraUSD, while tokenized equity volumes surged 145% to a record $3.86B. View Full Report More From Markets Crypto trader applies legendary HODL strategy to EUR/USD forex bet Two blockbuster AI IPO's on the horizon could leave crypto further behind Bitcoin's dwindling exchange reserves don't pack the same bullish punch anymore More From Bitcoin Singapore's Temasek investment fund says crypto is off the table, will focus on AI Crypto trader applies legendary HODL strategy to EUR/USD forex bet Sony secures conditional approval to set up U.S. stablecoin trust bank