New York, Feb 25, 2026, 17:31 EST — Trading after the bell.
- Bitcoin bounced roughly 7.5%, reaching close to $68,900 late in U.S. hours after wiping out losses from earlier.
- Net inflows into U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs hit $257.7 million on Feb. 24, snapping back after outflows the day before.
- Next up: traders eye U.S. jobless claims and fresh Fed remarks on Feb. 26, watching for any rate clues.
Bitcoin climbed roughly 7.5% to $68,924 in Wednesday’s after-hours action, following a session where it bounced between $63,878 and $69,783. Ether, the No. 2 crypto by market cap, jumped 13% to $2,104.
This shift is notable, with bitcoin behaving more like a high-beta risk play than a haven in recent weeks. Wednesday’s action? Pretty much a textbook “risk back on” day. “AI is the dominant theme and what’s moving the market more than anything right now,” said Aaron Schaechterle, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors. Reuters
The U.S. spot bitcoin ETF market provided more support. According to Farside Investors, the funds pulled in $257.7 million of net inflows on Feb. 24, snapping back after $203.8 million in net outflows the previous day. BlackRock’s IBIT took in $78.9 million, Fidelity’s FBTC added $82.8 million, and ARK’s ARKB brought in $71.1 million.
Spot bitcoin ETFs give investors a way to access bitcoin via regular brokerage accounts, sidestepping the need to own the token itself. These funds’ inflows and outflows, tracked each day, now serve as a quick read on market sentiment.
Nvidia shook up the broader market after posting January-quarter sales of $68.13 billion and projecting first-quarter revenue at roughly $78 billion, topping Wall Street’s expectations. The stock jumped over 3% after hours. “Our customers are racing to invest in AI compute,” CEO Jensen Huang said. Reuters
Trade policy hasn’t cooled off. Angelo Kourkafas, senior global strategist at Edward Jones, flagged “policy volatility” as an ongoing risk, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court’s move to strike down Trump-era emergency tariffs has kept markets unsettled. Now, the administration is eyeing Section 122 for a fresh batch of tariffs, fueling further uncertainty around trade. Reuters
Shares tied to crypto rallied, with Coinbase surging over 13%. The company’s move: zero-commission stock and ETF trading now available for U.S. users. It’s a play to expand past crypto, putting Coinbase head-to-head with Robinhood and others.
The rebound follows a punishing run for Bitcoin. It’s still off around 27% year-to-date and trades nearly 49% beneath its October 2025 peak, Advisor Perspectives data show.
The rally isn’t locked in. If the dollar firms up, yields on Treasurys climb, or tariff news jolts markets again, traders may shift quickly to safety and pull money out of riskier bets like bitcoin.
U.S. macro and policy chatter comes next. On the radar: weekly jobless claims, a $44 billion 7-year Treasury auction, and Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman’s testimony in the Senate—all happening Thursday, Feb. 26. Traders will be combing through the details for any signals on rates and liquidity.
