Bitcoin crosses $81,000, ETH, SOL, DOGE steady as options desks bid on further price jump
Bitcoin is back above $80,000 after Monday’s brief reversal on the disputed Iran missile claim, with options markets quietly setting up for a breakout even as skew still favors downside protection.
What to know:
- Bitcoin broke above $81,000 in Asian trading, its highest level since late January, even as broader crypto markets were mixed and macro risks persisted.
- Options desks that had quietly built cheap upside call ratio structures are now positioned to benefit from a gradual grind higher, with a decisive move above $80,000 expected to turn key risk-reversal gauges positive.
- The shift in options pricing comes amid ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions and steady central bank policy, with upcoming U.S. earnings and jobs data seen as potential catalysts for further bitcoin volatility.
Other majors traded mixed. Ether held $2,379, off 0.1% on the day but up 4.0% on the week. XRP slipped 0.9% to $1.40. Solana dropped 0.9% to $84.84. BNB sat at $626. Dogecoin gave back 1.0% to $0.1117 after last week’s run, though it remains the standout on the seven-day tape at 12.4% as futures open interest continues to sit at year-highs.
The move came despite Brent crude paring just to $113 a barrel after surging 5.8% Monday on Iran’s disputed missile claim, with WTI near $104.
The macro picture has not actually improved, even as developments in the ongoing U.S.-Iran seem to be losing their grip on bitcoin.
U.S. destroyers Truxtun and Mason transited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, escorting two U.S.-flagged vessels through under what U.S. Central Command described as “coordinated threats.” A VTTI oil terminal in Fujairah was struck in an aerial attack. President Donald Trump told Salem News Channel the war may last another two to three weeks, meaning a previously announced four-week ceasefire is fraying.
