
- Sebastjan Bele
- Updated: April 23, 2026
- Reading time: 6 min
Ceasefire Extended, BTC Rally, SP500 & NASDAQ at ATHs
Bitcoin ($BTC) broke out of its local range this week, rallying toward $79K and now sitting roughly 18% above its March lows. Traditional markets mirrored the move, with the S&P 500 returning to all time highs, while crypto linked equities also saw strong upside. Strategy ($MSTR) gained 10%, Circle ($CRCL) rose 9%, and Coinbase ($COIN) added 6%, with miners MARA Holdings ($MARA) and Riot Platforms ($RIOT) up 6%–7%. The move comes as the U.S.–Iran situation shifts into a fragile stalemate, with the U.S. extending the ceasefire while negotiations remain unresolved.
On the industry side, markets were shaken by the largest exploit of 2026, with roughly $292M drained from Kelp DAO, triggering broader DeFi stress and exposing Aave to potential losses of up to $230M. But exploits were not the only concern this week. Rug pulls and questionable price action also became a major talking point, with RaveDAO collapsing and wiping out $6.6B in value. In a widely shared summary of the RAVE 95% price drop, ZachXBT also pointed to several other tokens with highly questionable recent price action, including SIREN, MYX, COAI, M, PIPPIN and RIVER. Despite this, institutional activity remained strong, with Strategy adding $2.5B in Bitcoin, BitMine acquiring over 100K ETH, and a Trump backed American Bitcoin stock surging after the firm activated 11K BTC miners.
News

- 2026’s biggest crypto exploit sees Kelp DAO drained of $292 million with wrapped ether stranded across 20 chains
- Strategy adds $2.5 billion in Bitcoin in its largest purchase since 2024
- Tom Lee’s BitMine nears milestone after making the largest Ethereum buy of the year
- Summary of RAVE’s 95% price drop by ZachXBT
- Trump linked American Bitcoin shares spike after announcing more mining power
- U.S. government runs a Bitcoin node but is not mining BTC
- FTX sold its Cursor stake for $200,000 in 2023 and it would be worth $3 billion today
- Banks seek to slow implementation of the GENIUS Act on stablecoin oversight
- Sam Bankman Fried withdraws new trial motion for now
- Blockchain Capital seeks $700 million for new fund
Table of Contents
Markets
Best Performers

MemeCore ($M) led the group with a strong +60.53% weekly gain, continuing its upward momentum. JUST ($JST) followed with a +42.98% increase, extending its recent trend higher. Humanity Protocol ($H) advanced +22.70%, maintaining steady performance throughout the week.
Pudgy Penguins ($PENGU) posted a +13.44% weekly rise, reflecting continued activity around the project. edgeX ($EDGE) rounded out the top five with a +8.76% gain, holding onto gains following its recent TGE.
Sector Performance

According to GMCI, the GMCI 30, which tracks the top 30 cryptocurrencies, is up 0.94% over the past week. The GMCI Mid Cap is down 1.37%, while GMCI Small Cap is down 1.70%. The rest of the sectors:
- Layer 1: +0.38%
- Layer 2: +2.50%
- DeFi: -3.03%
- AI: -3.02%
- Gaming: +0.52%
- Meme: +0.87%
US Spot ETF Balances
US Bitcoin Spot ETFs


Total Assets Under Management (AUM) = $102.14 Billion
US Ethereum Spot ETFs

Total Assets Under Management (AUM) = $14.20 Billion
*The data for BTC / ETH ETFs can vary, so we use Coinglass as our source.
Market Commentary
Bitcoin
$BTC broke out of the local range but got rejected near $80K, failing to hold the breakout and pulling back.
Despite that, the underlying demand tells a different story. Coinbase Premium has been positive for 15 consecutive days since April 8, showing consistent U.S. spot buying supporting the move.
From the flow side, CVD remains elevated, meaning buyers are still active even after the rejection. At the same time, open interest is rebuilding, suggesting positioning is coming back after the earlier flush.
Overall the setup shows:
- failed breakout at $80K
- strong and consistent spot demand
- buyers still present in flows
If price stabilizes and reclaims highs, this rejection can turn into continuation rather than distribution.


Ethereum
$ETH is trying to stabilize around $2.3K after a prolonged downtrend, but the structure is still fragile. Price has been grinding higher, yet it hasn’t broken any major higher timeframe levels, so this looks more like a relief move than a confirmed reversal.
From the flow side, the picture is mixed.
CVD has recently turned positive, showing buyers stepping in, but the move lacks consistency across venues and already started to fade on some exchanges.
At the same time, open interest is rising, which suggests new positioning is building into this bounce rather than it being purely spot driven.
is slightly positive, but not strong enough to signal aggressive U.S. demand.
Overall the setup shows:
- early signs of buyer activity
- positioning building into the move
- no strong confirmation from spot yet
Unless ETH reclaims key levels with stronger spot support, this still looks like a bounce within a broader weak structure, not a full trend shift.

Bitcoin dominance increase to 60.0%.
In traditional markets (weekly):
- S&P 500: +0.93%
- NASDAQ: +2.11%
- Gold: -2.01%
- Silver: -4.98%
The total crypto market cap stands at $2.58 trillion. The Fear & Greed Index is up to 46 (Fear).
What's Next?
The Geopolitical Blockade and Stagflationary Reality
Following a brief 24 hour reopening, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps shut the Strait of Hormuz back down, with Iranian gunboats firing on commercial vessels and the United States maintaining a strict naval blockade. This binary geopolitical escalation has sent Brent crude recovering above $95 per barrel.
The structural damage of a prolonged closure is compounding daily, threatening to entrench a stagflationary environment. Central banks are paralyzed by this energy driven inflation. The Federal Reserve cannot cut rates into rising inflation, while the United Kingdom ten year bond yield is blowing up toward 5 percent. Capital preservation remains paramount, as global central banks now hold roughly 38,666 tons of gold, while total sovereign and corporate bond issuance is projected to hit a record $28.8 trillion.
Spot Exhaustion and Derivative Coiling
Despite macroeconomic headwinds, Bitcoin is exhibiting a narrow, derivative skeptical bid. The asset briefly approached $79,388 before easing to $77,794, standing out as the only major digital asset in positive territory while Ethereum and Solana faded on profit taking.
From an on chain perspective, Bitcoin has reclaimed the True Market Mean at $78,100, signaling a transition from deep bear market conditions. However, the market faces a formidable supply wall at the Short Term Holder Cost Basis of $80,100. Pushing toward $80,000 places over 54 percent of recent buyers into profit, a threshold that historically triggers peak distribution. This is corroborated by Short Term Holder Realized Profit spiking to $4.4 million per hour, nearly three times the historical warning threshold for a local top
The CryptoQuant Bull Score Index recently flipped to a neutral 50 for the first time since the $126,000 peak, indicating improving network conditions. Yet, history offers a severe warning, as a similar neutral reading in March 2022 preceded a deep capitulation event.
Derivatives data paints a picture of extreme compression. Funding rates have remained negative for roughly 47 consecutive days, representing one of the longest stretches of bearish positioning on record. Implied volatility continues to drift lower, with 30 day realized volatility compressing to 40.7 percent. Crucially, a massive concentration of negative dealer gamma sits in the $75,000 region. While the heavy short bias provides fuel for an upside squeeze, a slide below $76,000 risks accelerating downside hedging flows.
Underneath this fragile derivative structure, institutional accumulation remains aggressive. Spot exchange traded funds generated $1.1 billion in net inflows last week, pushing BlackRock holdings to a record 806,700 BTC. MicroStrategy has accumulated 815,061 BTC, bringing its $61.5 billion portfolio back to breakeven. The decentralized finance sector is also expanding violently, with total value locked crossing $100 billion and stablecoin market capitalization breaching $320 billion.
Corporate Divergence and Artificial Intelligence Mindshare
Traditional finance is experiencing a profound rotation into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The Taiwan stock market capitalization surged to $4.14 trillion, surpassing the United Kingdom, driven almost entirely by semiconductor exports. Simultaneously, OpenAI pre IPO instruments trading on chain imply a record $1 trillion valuation. Tesla also demonstrated resilience, surging 5 percent following stronger than expected first quarter earnings.
However, retail risk appetite shows extreme regional divergence. While United States margin debt dropped by $32 billion to $1.22 trillion, South Korean margin loans jumped to a record $23 billion. In the digital asset equity proxy space, distress is materializing, highlighted by Pantera Capital urging Satsuma Technology to liquidate its remaining Bitcoin holdings after a 99 percent share collapse.
The Terminal Equilibrium
The market is currently trapped in a tight liquidity sandwich, pinned between an uncompromising geopolitical timeline and a massive overhead supply ceiling. Bitcoin has proven its resilience, maintaining an elevated Sharpe ratio while equities whipsaw on Hormuz headlines.
The immediate forward trajectory depends entirely on spot demand absorption. A clean breakout above the $80,100 short term holder cost basis is required to flip overhead supply into structural support. Conversely, if organic bid absorption fails to digest the $4.4 million per hour profit taking, the market will likely slide below $76,000, triggering the negative gamma pocket at $75,000 and forcing a violent liquidation event. Patience and capital preservation remain the defining strategies in this catalyst driven regime.
Meme of the Week

We hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Diary of a Market Maker! Stay tuned for more insights, updates, and market-moving highlights as we continue to keep you informed and entertained in the ever-evolving world of crypto.
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Until next time, happy trading and stay ahead of the curve!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or other professional advice. All opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of any entity with which the author may be associated. Investing in financial markets involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Readers should perform their own research and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Jakob Brezigar
Jakob, an experienced specialist in the field of cryptocurrency market making, boasts an extensive international presence. With Orcabay, he has skillfully managed major operations and deals for a wide array of global stakeholders.


