Bitcoin nears $68,000 as gold holds above $5,000 amid renewed U.S.-Iran tensions

Bitcoin rose toward $68,000 during the early hours of Friday as crypto markets steadied after another volatile week.

The move came as gold held above $5,000 an ounce and oil prices pushed higher, with investors pricing fresh geopolitical risk and staying cautious on U.S. growth and rates.

Bitcoin bounces, but Ether still struggles to clear $2,000

Bitcoin lifted toward $68,000 in broad-based trading, with several large-cap tokens posting modest gains. XRP, SOL, DOGE, and ADA were higher on the session, while Ether lagged and remained below $2,000.

Ether has been a key risk gauge inside crypto during recent drawdowns. A market that can lift Bitcoin but cannot pull Ether through major levels tends to reflect short-term positioning more than a clean shift in demand.

Gold and oil rise as Trump sets a 10- to 15-day Iran deadline

Gold stayed firm above $5,000 an ounce as investors tracked U.S.-Iran tensions. President Donald Trump said Thursday he would give talks 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program while warning of consequences if negotiations fail.

Oil prices also climbed on the week, with traders focused on Middle East supply risk and the Strait of Hormuz. The combination has supported traditional safe-haven positioning even as risk assets attempt to stabilize.

Fed minutes reinforce a cautious rates backdrop

Markets also digested the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes, which showed policymakers holding rates steady while debating what comes next. Several officials kept the option of higher rates on the table if inflation does not cool.

That tone has helped support the U.S. dollar and kept financial conditions tighter at the margin. For crypto, it means rallies still have to contend with a macro backdrop that is not clearly turning easier.

Large Bitcoin deposits to Binance put selling risk back in focus

On-chain and exchange flow data has also kept traders defensive. Large wallets have been moving sizeable amounts of Bitcoin onto Binance, a pattern often read as potential preparation to sell or hedge.

One widely watched metric, the share of total inflows coming from the biggest deposits, has risen sharply in February. Separately, cumulative Bitcoin deposits to Binance since the start of 2026 have reached hundreds of thousands of BTC, adding to near-term supply risk if spot demand stays soft.

$60,000 remains the line traders keep coming back to

Even with Bitcoin back near $68,000, traders continue to anchor to the February lows near $60,000 and a broader support zone tied to 2024 trading ranges.

Some market research desks have described current conditions as similar to late-bear phases seen in prior cycles, where sharp selloffs are often followed by long stretches of range trading. That framing keeps attention on whether dips are met by steady buying or whether rebounds fade as supply returns at round-number levels.

For now, price moves are coming quickly, but follow-through is not. Until geopolitics and U.S. rate expectations stop swinging day to day, crypto is likely to keep reacting first and deciding later.