Bitcoin rises even as risky assets largely slid

The world’s largest cryptocurrency was last up 2% to $75,919.0

Bitcoin ticked higher on Monday even as risky assets such as equities largely slid after a renewed flare-up in tensions between Iran and the U.S.

The U.S. over the weekend reportedly seized an Iranian cargo ship, leading to a warning from Iran and casting uncertainty over future peace talks between the two warring nations.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency was last up 2% to $75,919.0 by 21:50 GMT.

Cryptocurrencies, which often trade in line with risk assets, came under pressure initially in Monday’s session after the weekend’s news, but then reversed course and largely pushed higher.

Dessislava Ianeva, analyst at Nexo Dispatch, said the $75,000 mark remained the key technical threshold for Bitcoin.

It carries the largest single-strike negative gamma exposure in the book at –$2.97 billion per Glassnode data, meaning dealer hedging flows amplify moves in either direction, Ianeva said.

Elsewhere, prediction market platform Polymarket is in talks to raise $400 million at a valuation of about $15 billion, The Information reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The discussions come amid growing investor interest in prediction markets, which have seen a surge in trading volumes and institutional participation in recent months.

Polymarket has been exploring new capital to expand its platform and strengthen its position in the fast-growing event-based trading space, the report said.

The potential valuation would mark a sharp rise from earlier funding rounds and underscores strong demand for alternative trading platforms tied to real-world outcomes.

In other developments, Michael Saylor’s Strategy has made its third-largest Bitcoin acquisition to date, buying 34,164 coins last week at an average price of nearly $74,395 each, a Monday securities filing showed. The total outlay came to around $2.54 billion.

The purchase lifts the company’s cumulative holdings to 815,061 BTC, obtained for a combined $61.56 billion at an average cost of $75,527 per coin.