On Thursday, the cryptocurrency market experienced a downturn with bitcoin (BTC) trading at approximately $77,600 after falling 0.7% from its level of nearly $80,000 earlier in the day. The drop occurred as the digital asset reached a peak since January on Wednesday but failed to maintain momentum just below the critical $80,000 resistance mark.
Concurrently, oil prices climbed by 1.5% reaching $103 per barrel following news that the U.S. intercepted three Iranian tankers in Asian waters. This development contributed to a decrease in risk asset values.
Ether (ETH) also saw a decline of 2.5%, bringing its value down to $2,320 after briefly approaching $2,500 over the weekend. Despite these losses, the broader market sentiment remains positive with bitcoin breaking out from a two-month trading range between $63,000 and $75,000 that persisted since early February.
In the U.S., stock futures experienced a dip on Thursday, with both S&P 500 and Nasdaq 500 futures decreasing by 0.5%.