Investing.com — edged lower on Tuesday, retreating from gains notched in the prior session, as investors gauged the prospect of a possible de-escalation in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency slipped 0.4% to $70,475.6 by 18:16 ET (22:16 GMT).
“At this point, the situation simply needs time to settle so we can understand what to expect. For now, the market remains highly uncertain. At the same time, there is a growing sense in the market that traditional assets are becoming more speculative than crypto, which is not a positive signal,” Arthur Azizov, founder at B2 Ventures, told Investing.com.
Get key cryptocurrency insights with InvestingPro – now 50% off
Media report hints at possible de-escalation
After the closing bell on Wall Street, Israeli Channel 12 said U.S. Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and American businessman Jared Kushner were working on a mechanism that would introduce a ceasefire and allow the U.S. and Iran to negotiate on a 15-point plan. The New York Times later reported that the U.S. had sent a plan to Iran to end the war.
President Donald Trump on Monday had said his administration was delaying strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days after holding what he described as “very good and productive” talks with the country to end the nearly month-long conflict.
But the speaker of Iran’s parliament denied that there had been any talks with the U.S., and several contrasting media reports on Tuesday kept investors uncertain over how the conflict will play out, with oil prices rebounding sharply on Tuesday. .
Worries have abounded that a prolonged surge in oil prices will drive up global inflation, in turn eliciting hawkish moves by global central banks. Such a scenario bodes poorly for speculative, non-yielding assets such as Bitcoin and .
Still, Bitcoin has fared relatively better than gold since the onset of the war in late February, with the yellow metal having logged deep losses partly due to profit-taking after a steep recent climb to record levels.
Bitcoin has bottomed, Bernstein says
Bernstein said Bitcoin appears to have bottomed, with analysts also reiterating a bullish view on Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy.
“We believe Bitcoin has found its trough and is now heading higher,” analysts led by Gautam Chhugani wrote.
They believe the recent pullback in bitcoin reflects a reset in sentiment rather than a deterioration in fundamentals, noting the lack of broader systemic stress typically associated with past crypto downturns.
On the macro front, the analysts added that Bitcoin has outperformed gold by 25% since the Iran conflict began in late February, reinforcing its role as a portable and censorship-resistant asset during periods of geopolitical uncertainty.
At the same time, the brokerage maintained its outperform rating and $450 price target on Strategy, pointing to the company’s resilient performance through Bitcoin’s roughly 50% decline from its October 2025 peak.
The analysts described Strategy as a high-beta way to gain exposure to Bitcoin, highlighting what they called a “resilient, liquid and pressure-tested” balance sheet. The company, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, holds about 3.6% of total Bitcoin supply, valued at roughly $53.5 billion.
Crypto price today: altcoins mostly lower
Elsewhere, broader crypto prices largely fell in tandem with Bitcoin.
World no.2 crypto Ethereum dropped slightly to $2,153.02, while XRP declined 1.2% to $1.4126.
Solana fell 1.1%, while Cardano bucked the trend, rising 1.7%.
Among memecoins, Dogecoin added 0.4% and $TRUMP rose 3.3%.
Ambar Warrick, Scott Kanowsky, and Vahid Karaahmetovic contributed to this article