NEW YORK, April 22, 2026, 15:15 EDT
Bitcoin hovered around $78,800 on Wednesday, making another run at that $80,000 mark after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire extension gave risk appetite a jolt and Michael Saylor’s Strategy revealed a fresh hefty buy. Shares of Strategy jumped roughly 9%, with BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust adding about 5% during New York hours.
Bitcoin’s rebound since April isn’t only about what’s happening in crypto circles anymore. Geopolitical shifts, renewed interest in exchange-traded funds, and the actions of a single company are all in play. According to Forbes, bitcoin has climbed nearly 30% after dipping to just above $60,000, pulling the market closer to thresholds that could attract momentum traders.
Strategy disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it snapped up 34,164 bitcoins from April 13 to April 19, paying roughly $2.54 billion at an average price of $74,395 per coin. That pushes its total holdings to 815,061 bitcoins, acquired for approximately $61.56 billion—an average of $75,527 each. The latest buy was financed using at-the-market offerings, a mechanism allowing the company to gradually sell shares directly on the public market.
Strategy’s executive chairman Saylor didn’t mince words on X: “Strategy has acquired 34,164 BTC for ~$2.54 billion.” He also pointed out the company achieved a 9.5% bitcoin yield for 2026—a metric the firm uses to track bitcoin-per-share growth. X (formerly Twitter)
The purchase shook up a key institutional leaderboard. According to CoinDesk, Strategy has now surpassed BlackRock’s IBIT, holding 802,824 bitcoins as of April 20. While IBIT is a spot bitcoin ETF—trading on exchanges and aiming to mirror bitcoin’s price—Strategy holds actual bitcoin on its own balance sheet.
Fund flows have chipped in as well. CoinShares reported digital-asset investment products attracted $1.4 billion last week—the biggest weekly intake since January. Bitcoin-related products accounted for $1.116 billion of that haul, with ether offerings bringing in $328 million. James Butterfill, CoinShares’ head of research, described bitcoin’s break above $76,000 as “a meaningful technical development” following two months stuck in a range. CoinShares
The Saylor factor keeps showing up in price arguments. Yahoo Finance picked up a Benzinga piece noting that Grok flagged Strategy’s consistent buying as a key prop for bitcoin lately, though it wouldn’t say exactly where prices might land without that support. As for hard figures: this latest Strategy purchase topped $2.5 billion, according to the filing.
But there’s a hitch. That ceasefire propping up risk assets is shaky at best. The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports hasn’t lifted, and the Strait of Hormuz keeps rattling the oil market. Should negotiations falter, oil could jump—stoking inflation anxiety again. Any slip in demand for Strategy’s preferred or common shares could also take the air out of its bitcoin buying spree.
Digital Wealth Partners CEO Max Kahn told Investor’s Business Daily in a note Monday he’s still “optimistic on bitcoin,” citing both the macro environment and institutional flows. He highlighted the $78,000 to $80,000 zone as key—right where prices are hovering. Investors
