The $75,000 threshold: Conditions needed for bitcoin to enter a bullish trend.

Your day-ahead look for March 24, 2026

(Midjourney/Modified by CoinDesk)

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By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless otherwise stated)

Bitcoin BTC $71,009.61 and the broader cryptocurrency market are experiencing upward movement despite geopolitical turbulence. Although this resilience is notable, a definitive shift to a bullish trend requires a substantial move beyond $75,000.

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a five-day postponement of military action against Iran, citing ongoing discussions. This eased market tensions and propelled bitcoin above $71,000. However, the optimism was short-lived, as Iran quickly refuted the existence of talks, while Israel continued its military operations, prompting Iran to retaliate with strikes on Tel Aviv overnight.

Nevertheless, bitcoin maintained its position and aims to build on the previous day’s 4.47% increase, the largest since March 4. Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), and solana (SOL) are mirroring BTC’s performance, alongside a 24-hour increase of 4% in the CoinDesk 20 Index.

While the upward movement is promising for bullish investors, the pivotal test will be around $75,000, a significant inflection point encountered at least twice in the past year. The decline from March to April 2025 halted near $75,000, while the rally at the start of 2024 faced resistance at the same level. Additionally, $75,000 aligns with crucial Fibonacci retracement levels.

"Although the leading cryptocurrency did not immediately leverage the upward momentum to extend its gains, simply remaining at these elevated levels now indicates confidence among the bulls. They are gradually cultivating a more positive outlook," Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro, stated in an email.

"However, it would be hasty to declare the end of the downtrend until prices stabilize above $75K, where the March pivot points and the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level from the January-February decline are concentrated."

In essence, a convincing move above $75,000 would affirm a bull resurgence. Solana’s SOL token, currently trading close to $90, could become a notable performer in that scenario.

"Sol stands out positively. Approaching $91, it demonstrates that risk appetite is not extinguished. The institutional privacy framework perspective is significant long-term since it pertains to making Sol tradable for larger capital pools, not solely quicker for retail investors," remarked Marex’s research team, led by crypto trading analyst Louis De Backer.

Meanwhile, interest from cryptocurrency investors in traditional assets is prompting exchanges to broaden their offerings, with a competitive push to introduce 24/7 stock perpetual futures. Today, OKX revealed the launch of over 20 equity perpetual swaps, providing traders with continuous access to some of the world’s most sought-after stocks.

In traditional markets, attention remains on fluctuations in U.S. Treasury yields, which may limit potential gains in risk assets in the short term. Over time, persistent volatility could lead to intervention from the Federal Reserve, possibly creating a more favorable environment for risk-taking. Stay vigilant!

Read more: For insights into today’s altcoin and derivatives activity, see Crypto Markets Today

What to Watch

For a detailed list of events this week, refer to CoinDesk’s "Crypto Week Ahead".

• Crypto
  • No events scheduled.
• Macro
  • March 24, 8:15 a.m.: U.S. ADP Employment Change Weekly (Prev. 9K)
  • March 24, 9:45 a.m.: U.S. S&P Global Composite PMI Flash for March (Prev. 51.9); Manufacturing PMI (Prev. 51.6); Services PMI (Prev. 51.7)
  • March 24, 6:30 p.m.: Fed Gov. Michael Barr Speech on "Economic Outlook and Community Development" at National Community Investment Conference, Phoenix
• Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data)
  • March 24: GameStop (GME), post-market, $0.31

Token Events

For a comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s "Crypto Week Ahead".

• Governance votes & calls
  • StakeDAO’s sdSPECTRA is voting on the Spectra gauge weight allocation for the period of March 26 to April 1, 2026. Voting concludes on March 24.
  • March 24: Axie Infinity to host a Lunacian lounge with updates on upcoming developments for the ecosystem.
• Unlocks
  • No significant unlocks.
• Token Launches
  • No major launches.

Conferences

For a more extensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s "Crypto Week Ahead".

• Day 2 of 7: Polish Blockchain Week (Warsaw)
• Day 1 of 3: Digital Asset Summit 2026 (New York City)

Market Movements

• BTC is up 0.57% from 4 p.m. ET Wednesday at $71,224.20 (24hrs: +4.30%)
• ETH is unchanged at $2,159.68 (24hrs: +5.85%)
• CoinDesk 20 is up 0.34% at 2,046.50 (24hrs: +4.15%)
• Ether CESR Composite Staking Rate is down 2 bps at 2.81%
• BTC funding rate is at 0.0063% (6.8602% annualized) on Binance

• DXY is up 0.34% at 99.29
• Gold futures are up 0.28% at $4,416.60
• Silver futures are up 1.44% at $70.04
• Nikkei 225 closed up 1.43% at 52,252.28
• Hang Seng closed up 2.79% at 25,063.71
• FTSE 100 is down 0.20% at 9,874.59
• Euro Stoxx 50 is down 0.47% at 5,548.16
• DJIA closed on Monday up 1.38% at 46,208.47
• S&P 500 closed up 1.15% at 6,581.00
• Nasdaq Composite closed up 1.38% at 21,946.76
• S&P/TSX Composite closed up 1.81% at 31,883.81
• S&P 40 Latin America closed up 2.07% at 3,222.70
• U.S. 10-Year Treasury rate is down 6 bps at 4.33%
• E-mini S&P 500 futures are down 0.18% at 6,623.00
• E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures are down 0.10% at 24,383.75
• E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are down 0.23% at 46,415.00

Bitcoin Stats

• BTC Dominance: 59.12% (0.07%)
• Ether-bitcoin ratio: 0.03033 (-0.06%)
• Hashrate (seven-day moving average): 983 EH/s
• Hash