TLDR
- Bitcoin climbed above $81,000 on Tuesday, up 6.7% on the week, driven by easing Iran tensions and AI optimism
- Strategy’s Michael Saylor said the company may sell some of its 818,334 BTC for the first time to cover $1.5 billion in dividend obligations
- Strategy stock dropped over 4% after hours following Saylor’s comments; BTC briefly dipped below $81,000 before recovering
- US stocks hit record highs with the S&P 500 up 0.8% and Nasdaq up 1%, boosted by strong tech earnings from AMD and Super Micro Computer
- Ether lagged the crypto rally, down 0.3% in 24 hours, as spot ETH ETF flows turned negative
Bitcoin crossed $81,000 during Asian trading hours on Tuesday, according to CoinDesk data. The move puts Bitcoin up 6.7% on the week.
The rally was part of a broader risk-on move across global markets. Easing tensions between the US and Iran, along with renewed optimism around artificial intelligence, pushed investors into riskier assets.
Wall Street closed at record highs on Tuesday. The S&P 500 gained 0.8%, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7%. Futures pointed higher again on Wednesday morning.
Strong earnings from tech companies helped drive the gains. Advanced Micro Devices surged nearly 15% after hours after beating earnings and issuing a strong second-quarter forecast. Super Micro Computer jumped 18% after better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter guidance.
About 85% of S&P 500 companies that have reported so far have beaten profit expectations. Around 77% have also delivered upside revenue surprises.
Asian equities also hit all-time highs Wednesday morning. The MSCI Asia Pacific index advanced 1.8%, and South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 6%. Samsung Electronics surged 15%, pushing its valuation to $1 trillion.
Other cryptocurrencies joined Bitcoin’s rally. Solana rose 3% to $87.35, and Dogecoin added 4% to $0.1158. XRP, BNB, and TRX also posted gains on the day.
Strategy May Sell Bitcoin for the First Time
The biggest crypto story of the day came from Strategy’s Q1 2026 earnings call. Executive chairman Michael Saylor said the company may sell some of its Bitcoin to help fund dividend payments.
“We will probably sell some bitcoin to pay a dividend just to inoculate the market and send the message that we did it,” Saylor said.
This would mark the first time Strategy has sold any of its Bitcoin. The company holds 818,334 BTC, acquired at an average cost of $75,537 per coin. Its strategy has always been to buy and hold.
Strategy reported a $12.54 billion net loss in Q1 2026. The loss was tied to Bitcoin’s fall from its October 2026 peak of $126,000 and mark-to-market accounting rules.
The company carries about $1.5 billion in annual dividend obligations. It currently has around 18 months of US dollar reserves to cover those payments.
Ether Lags the Rally
Ether was the one laggard among major cryptocurrencies. It dropped 0.3% over 24 hours, holding a 3.9% weekly gain at $2,376. Spot ETH ETF flows turned negative last week, ending a three-week streak of inflows.
Strategy shares dropped more than 4% in after-hours trading following Saylor’s comments. Bitcoin briefly fell below $81,000 before recovering above that level.
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