Bitcoin Is Trading Oil—and Washington

BTC hits $70.8K as energy markets calm and crypto law inches forward.

Bitcoin just bounced toward $70.8K as oil cooled off, lawmakers in Washington inched closer to a market structure deal, and 72% of finance leaders said digital assets are now essential.

If you are deciding whether to treat this as a short-term macro trade or a long-term infrastructure cycle, this is where the signals start to separate.

You are not just trading candles—you are trading oil, policy text, and boardroom decisions at the same time.

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Market-Moving News

Three forces are shaping your next move: Bitcoin reacting to oil and equity volatility, the Crypto Clarity Act grinding toward a Senate breakthrough, and institutions quietly building stablecoin and custody infrastructure.

Price is bouncing, lawmakers are negotiating, and banks are preparing.

In the short term, you are exposed to macro swings and stock-market sentiment.

In the bigger picture, you are watching regulation and institutional adoption align—and that combination tends to matter more than a single green day.

Markets

Bitcoin Jumps Toward $70.8K as Oil Retreats, Risk Appetite Flickers

Bitcoin climbed to $70,800 after major economies announced joint efforts to stabilize oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

The move extended a rebound from sub-$68,900 lows and briefly put Bitcoin back in short-term control.

Ethereum, XRP, and Solana posted smaller gains of under 1%, lagging Bitcoin's bounce. That tells you this was more of a macro-driven relief move than a broad altcoin breakout.

Oil Drops, Crypto Breathes

West Texas Intermediate crude fell nearly 2% to around $93.80 after Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan pledged coordinated action to stabilize energy markets.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also signaled potential relief on Iranian oil sanctions and possible releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Lower oil prices tend to ease inflation fears and improve risk sentiment, which is why you saw Bitcoin react quickly.

But crude remains well above pre-conflict levels, and support near $92 is still holding.

Stocks Flash a Warning

The S&P 500 closed below its 200-day simple moving average for the first time since May last year. That kind of technical break often signals rising risk aversion, which can spill into crypto fast.

Meanwhile, traders have scaled back expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts as uncertainty around growth and inflation lingers.

That leaves Bitcoin sensitive to both oil headlines and equity market momentum.

Take: You are trading a macro-sensitive Bitcoin right now, not a purely crypto-driven one. If oil stabilizes and equities recover, upside can extend—but if stocks slide further, expect volatility to return quickly.

Policy

Crypto Clarity Act Inches Closer as Senate Talks Heat Up

Lawmakers are again pushing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act toward a Senate hearing, with updated legislative text reportedly circulating to the White House.

Negotiations remain active, and several key compromises are still being ironed out behind closed doors.

Stablecoin yield language, which has divided banks and crypto firms, appears close to a resolution. Lawmakers are reportedly weighing additional legislative trade-offs to secure broader support.

Stablecoin Yield Nears Compromise

Senator Cynthia Lummis has suggested that stablecoin rewards programs may survive if they avoid traditional bank-style savings and interest framing.

She compared them more to credit-card rewards than deposit interest.

Industry voices, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, are said to be more flexible in recent discussions. That flexibility could be crucial in getting the bill past committee hurdles.

Politics Still in the Way

Democrats are pushing for guardrails preventing senior officials from profiting off personal crypto holdings.

They also want full staffing at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission before new rules are implemented.

At the same time, the SEC has begun outlining its own crypto taxonomy and signaled readiness to implement policy backed by future legislation.

Regulators appear to be moving in parallel with Congress rather than waiting on it.

Take: You are watching market structure move from theory to law, even if slowly.

If this bill clears major hurdles, it reduces regulatory overhang and gives institutions a clearer footing—but political trade-offs can still delay the final step.

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Adoption

72% of Finance Leaders Say Digital Assets Are Now Essential

A Ripple survey of more than 1,000 global finance leaders found that 72% believe offering digital asset solutions is necessary to stay competitive.

The conversation has shifted from "if" to "how" across banks, asset managers, fintechs, and corporates.

Stablecoins emerged as the top use case, with 74% saying they can improve cash flow and unlock trapped capital. Institutions increasingly see them as treasury tools, not just payment rails.

Build, Buy, or Partner

Fintech firms are leading the charge, with 47% planning to build their own digital asset solutions.

In contrast, 74% of corporates prefer partnering with external providers rather than building in-house.

Banks and asset managers are prioritizing custody, with 89% citing secure storage as critical when evaluating tokenization partners.

Security certifications like ISO and SOC II ranked as top decision factors for 97% of respondents.

Infrastructure Over Speculation

Interest in token lifecycle management and primary distribution also ranked high, showing a focus on full-stack infrastructure.

Many institutions are seeking advisory support alongside technology, signaling that execution still matters as much as ambition.

Ripple framed the findings clearly: most finance leaders are not debating digital assets anymore. They are figuring out who to build with and how to deploy at scale.

Take: You are not early to the digital asset conversation anymore, but you may still be early to the infrastructure cycle.

If institutions keep prioritizing stablecoins and custody, the long-term winners are likely the rails and service providers—not just the tokens making headlines.

Coin Leaderboard

Crypto Pulse

Bitcoin is reacting to oil headlines and Senate negotiations, but the real fireworks are happening one layer below the surface.

SN3 exploded 44%, WAXP ripped nearly 33%, and UAI snapped back almost 31%—a reminder that momentum does not wait for macro clarity.

You are watching two markets at once: Bitcoin trading, geopolitics and policy text, and smaller caps trading narrative, liquidity shifts, and pure speculation.

If you only stare at BTC, you miss where short-term traders are actually making their moves.

templar (SN3) $22.85 (+46.09%)

SN3 leads today's Crypto Pulse with a sharp 46.09% surge in the last 24 hours, putting it firmly at the top of the momentum board.

WAX (WAXP) $0.008283 (+31.11%)

WAXP climbed 31.11% after Bithumb temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals, tightening short-term liquidity conditions.

Bittensor (TAO) $275.06 (+12.01%)

NVIDIA CEO recently spoke highly of Bittensor’s decentralized AI training capabilities, prompting a flood of investor interest.

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Future Forward

If you only show up once a token is trending, you are paying retail for someone else's conviction.

The real asymmetry lives earlier—on conference stages, in hackathon corners, and inside Discord servers that still feel half-empty.

Crypto conferences are not just badge scans and side events; they are live maps of where developer attention is flowing.

Watch which ecosystems dominate panels, which booths never seem empty, and which founders quietly attract builders before they attract price.

Airdrops rarely reward spectators. They reward wallets that bridge, stake, test, vote, and actually use the product before there is a chart to brag about.

Token launches are where narrative meets liquidity.

Week one shows you whether demand is sticky, whether market makers are serious, and whether the community shows up when volatility hits.

Crypto Conferences:

💎 Black Swan Summit 2026 (Mar 23, 2026)

💎 Fintech India Expo 2026 (Mar 23, 2026)

💎 Internet of Things India Expo 2026 (Mar 23, 2026)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 SoSoValue (SOSO) Airdrop (May 2026)

Upcoming Token Launches:

🚀 Mezo TGE and Distribution (Q1 2026)

🚀 EarnPark (PARK) Token Sale (Apr 13, 2026)

🚀 EarnBIT (EBT) TGE and Distribution (Q2 2026)

Which event are you most excited for? Let us know!

Crypto Know-How: Hardware Wallets, Explained Simply

A hardware wallet is a physical device that stores your crypto private keys offline instead of on your phone or computer.

That means even if your laptop gets hacked, your crypto stays protected because the keys never touch the internet.

When you send crypto, the transaction is signed inside the device itself. You still use apps like MetaMask or other interfaces, but the hardware wallet acts like a secure vault, approving the move.

The most important thing to understand is this: with a true non-custodial hardware wallet, only you control the recovery phrase.

If you lose that phrase, no company can reset it for you—there is no "forgot password" button.

That sounds scary, but it is also the point. You gain full control and reduce counterparty risk, which is why many long-term holders treat hardware wallets as the gold standard for self-custody.

Everything Else

  • Morgan Stanley disclosed the ticker MSBT and a $1 million seed investment for its planned spot Bitcoin ETF, signaling that another Wall Street heavyweight is preparing to compete in a market that has already pulled in over $56 billion since January 2024.

  • The World Gold Council and Boston Consulting Group unveiled a "Gold as a Service" framework to standardize tokenized gold issuance and custody, aiming to connect physical bullion with interoperable digital rails as tokenized commodities now represent roughly $5.5 billion on-chain.

  • Google researchers warned that a new iOS exploit chain called DarkSword is delivering crypto-targeting malware to unpatched iPhones, hunting for major exchange and wallet apps, and reinforcing that you should update devices immediately if you hold digital assets.

  • The FBI cautioned Tron users about a fake FBI-branded token claiming wallets are "under investigation," a phishing tactic that plays on urgency and adds to the $9.3 billion in crypto scam losses reported in 2024.

  • Industry groups are urging the Kentucky Senate to strip a hardware wallet amendment from a crypto ATM bill that would require credential reset mechanisms, a move critics say misunderstands self-custody and could push wallet providers to exit the state entirely.

You do not need to chase every green candle, and you definitely do not need to attend every conference on the calendar.

What you do need is pattern recognition—spotting where builders gather, where incentives align, and where infrastructure quietly hardens before price headlines catch up.

Best Regards,
— Benjamin Vitaris
Crypto Intel