Bitcoin (BTC) coiled below $70,000 at Monday’s Wall Street open as analysis blamed profit taking for price inertia.
Key points:
Bitcoin and stocks wobble as the US trading session begins amid nerves over the US-Iran war outcome.
Profit taking activity is keeping BTC price action away from a $70,000 reclaim, says research.
A Trader says $71,000 will act as fuel for a surge $10,000 higher.
BTC price meets “profit-taking pressure”
Data from TradingView showed BTC price action consolidating after hitting new April highs of $70,275 on Bitstamp.
Market nerves over the US-Iran war resulted in uncertain trading, with US stocks treading water at the open.
Speaking to the media at a military event, US President Donald Trump reiterated earlier comments that Iran would “have no bridges” and “no power plants” unless a deal was reached.
“I won’t go further because there are other things that are worse than those two,” he told reporters.
Trump previously stated that the deadline for a deal was 8pm Eastern time on Tuesday.
With price pinned below the $70,000 mark, onchain analytics platform Glassnode pointed to internal market forces as the reason for the lack of continuation higher.
“As price probed the $70K region, Realized Profit/hour spiked above $20M, signalling a local exhaustion,” it noted in a post on X.
“A pattern consistent since February 2026: Every approach to the $70k–$80K band meets thin liquidity and profit-taking pressure, capping the bounce.”
Bitcoin realized profit chart. Source: Glassnode/X
Pseudonymous trader LP added that Mondays and Thursdays had seen the upper and lower end of the week’s trading range throughout 2026.
“Price pushed higher into Monday, increasing the probability of this pivot forming a weekly high. If the correlation continues to play out, this would suggest Thursday forms the low of the week,” they told X followers.
“Watch price action closely today and tomorrow, it will confirm whether this intra-week pivot resolved as a high or a low.”
BTC price chart. Source: LP/X
Bitcoin trader eyes $71,000 springboard
Continuing, crypto trader Michaël Van de Poppe said the line in sand for bears lay slightly higher than Monday’s current peak.
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“Pretty strong momentum on the markets of Bitcoin,” he wrote on X about the initial move to $70,000.
“Volatility picking up, and I think it’s fireworks during this week as we might be getting to the end stage of the entire situation in the Strait of Hormuz. If Bitcoin breaks $71K, then markets are in for a test at $80K.”
BTC/USDT one-day chart. Source: Michaël Van de Poppe
Van de Poppe further cautioned on following blanket market consensus over new lows coming next.
“Given that all the markets are so oversold at this point, all on-chain indicators are looking overextended and are at similar levels to the bottom areas in 2018, 2020 and 2022, I wouldn’t be surprised that we’re getting a relief run that’s going to turn the sentiment quickly,” he concluded.