Relief Rally: Bitcoin Jumps 5% to 4-Week High After Iran Seeks US Deal

In a swift push, Bitcoin climbed more than 5% on Monday, April 14, 2026 to breach $74,000 and touch a four-week high near $74,900 before settling around $74,300–$74,500. The move marked a sharp relief rally in risk assets, with Ethereum and other altcoins posting similar gains as the total crypto market cap approached $2.6 trillion. 

The primary catalyst for the latest price hike was renewed optimism around US-Iran negotiations. Markets reacted positively after reports indicated that Iran is urgently seeking a deal with the US, with possible fresh talks as early as this week. 

TradingView data shows Bitcoin (BTC) surged from around $70,700 to briefly touching $75,000 on some crypto exchanges, with its volume surging by roughly 80% to $51.25 billion. 

Following Bitcoin, the broader crypto market also witnessed bullish sentiment as ETH, the second largest cryptocurrency, spiking by 8% to $2,367—as per CoinMarketCap data. Among other altcoins, XRP and BNB surged 2.5%, SOL saw an increase of 4.5%, and HYPE—the native token to Hyperliquid—pumped by 8.5% in the past 24 hours. 

Geopolitical relief fuels the Monday pump

The rally comes as the U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted Iran’s interest in resuming peace discussions, even as the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz went into effect. 

The blockade includes a key exemption: it does not apply to vessels traveling to or from non-Iranian ports. Shipping data showed a US-sanctioned Chinese-owned tanker successfully transiting the strait, signaling that immediate oil supply disruptions may be limited. 

This clarification eased fears of a full escalation, causing oil prices to ease and triggering a broad risk-on sentiment across global markets. US stock futures turned green, amplifying the move into crypto.

Trader reactions and millions in liquidations

Providing support to a broader market push was intense activity in institutional crypto trading, though some reports noted net ETF outflows on the exact day of the pump—the highest in 40 days—suggesting the move was driven more by sentiment and derivatives than fresh spot buying. 

Still, earlier strong inflows (including single-day figures near $471 million) had helped anchor prices during the recent consolidation between $67,000 and $75,000.

Data from Coinglass shows that the market experienced a significant wave of liquidations totaling approximately $$537.62 million, affecting over 180,000 traders in the past 24 hours. The vast majority—roughly $433.55 million—came from short positions being forcefully closed, marking a classic short squeeze. 

Bitcoin led the deleveraging with about $229 million in liquidations, followed by Ethereum at $136 million, while the trendy token RAVE contributed around $44 million. 

The largest single liquidation was a $12.4 million BTC-USDT short position on Aster exchange. This flush of bearish leverage amplified the upside momentum, with most damage occurring in the 12-hour window surrounding the rally.

This pump underscores Bitcoin’s evolving role as it no longer moves solely on crypto-specific news but increasingly reacts to global risk signals in real time. Volatility remains elevated, and participants are watching oil prices and diplomatic updates closely for the next directional cue. 

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