SOL, ADA, DOGE pullback, bitcoin holds above $74,000 as Asia recoups Iran war losses

Bitcoin held above $74,000 on Wednesday as a wave of risk appetite swept through global markets, with Asian equities joining Wall Street benchmarks in fully recouping losses sustained since the US-Iran conflict began in late February.

Ether gained 4% on the week to trade near $2,325, outpacing bitcoin's 3.9% move. Solana dropped 1.5% to $83, Cardano's ADA fell 1%, while dogecoin fell 1.3% to $0.093. Tron bucked the trend with a 3% weekly gain.

China's CSI 300 became the latest gauge to fully erase war-related declines, joining Taiwan and Singapore. The S&P 500 is closing in on its record high from late January.

Optimism that the US and Iran will enter a second round of talks in the coming days has kept crude oil below $100 a barrel, easing the inflationary overhang that weighed on markets through March.

The current bitcoin price sits near the estimated average entry price for holders of U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs, a level that could act as a floor rather than a ceiling. Investors who held through the drawdown below $60,000 have little incentive to sell at breakeven, removing a layer of potential overhead supply.

U.S. spot ETFs posted $471 million in net inflows on April 6, their strongest single-day intake since February, pushing cumulative inflows past $56 billion since the products launched in January 2024 - a move some watchers say is reflective of bullish market structure.

"This is bullish for adoption even though it's no self-custody," said Vikrant Sharma, founder of CakeWallet.

"Institutions pouring in $471 million in a single day and pushing past $56 billion cumulative means bitcoin is getting a whole new class of long-term holders. Self-custody wallets selling off is just natural profit-taking, but the fact that it's not leading to price collapse is a very bullish sign," he added.

Market participants are also pricing in the possibility of Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year, a development that would channel additional liquidity into risk assets after months of range-bound trading.