Bitcoin Shrugs Off Geopolitics Like a True DeFi Chad

Bitcoin casually strolled up to $68,600 in Monday's early U.S. trading session, flexing while traditional markets were busy nervously checking their phones. The move came as U.S. stocks, which had been pricing in a full-blown panic attack overnight, decided to just take a mild sedative instead following the weekend's geopolitical headlines.

About an hour after the opening bell, the Nasdaq was down a mere 0.1%, a far cry from the 2% plunge futures had threatened in a moment of melodrama. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones also posted losses so modest they were practically just taking a polite bow.

Not one for subtlety, Bitcoin, however, pushed ahead to $68,600, marking a 2.3% gain over 24 hours. Ether (ETH) followed suit, up 1.4%, while Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) posted similar gains, apparently deciding that if Bitcoin is moving, they're not getting left behind.

Crypto-adjacent stocks decided to one-up the coins themselves. Circle (CRCL) led the charge with a 12% moon mission, while MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Galaxy Digital (GLXY) joined the party with gains of 6% and 4.7% respectively, proving that betting on the shovels is still a viable degen strategy.

On the macro front, the ISM manufacturing PMI printed at 52.4 for February, signaling yet another month of expansion. This follows last Friday's Chicago Business Barometer, which rose to 57.7 in February 2026 from 54 previously, because why not have some good old-fashioned economic data in the mix?

So, let's tally the mood board: Middle East tensions, a re-accelerating manufacturing sector, last week's hotter-than-expected PPI data, and oil prices doing their best rocket emoji impression. Against this backdrop, a Fed rate cut in March now looks as likely as a Vitalik tweet being under 280 characters—effectively off the table ahead of the March 18 meeting.

Normally, the Fed putting its rate-cut scissors away would be considered crypto kryptonite. But it seems the market, in its infinite wisdom, had already priced in a monetary policy tighter than a new pair of leather pants on a bull run.

In the "everything else" category, gold held onto a 2% gain, crude oil was still up a hefty 7%, and the U.S. dollar index gained 1%, because in times of uncertainty, everyone runs to something—even if it's just a different colored line on a chart.