Crypto outperforms major assets as BTC reclaims $31,000 and ETH holds above $2,000, Wintermute says

Crypto has outperformed all major asset classes except crude oil as Middle East tensions enter a third week of escalation, with BTC gaining while stocks, bonds and gold fell, market maker Wintermute said on social media. BTC rebounded about 10% from its Monday low and reclaimed the $31,000 level with seven straight daily bullish candles, while ETH traded above $2,000 and spot Bitcoin ETFs logged their first five consecutive days of net inflows in 2026 totaling $767 million. Strategy added another 1,360 BTC and Bitmine disclosed a $128 million ETH purchase that included a direct OTC sale of 5,000 ETH from the Ethereum Foundation, Wintermute said. BTC's implied volatility index compressed from 61 to 51 and its correlation with equities weakened significantly, while Brent crude rose 26% this week and markets pared back expectations for 2026 rate cuts to just one as core PCE inflation reached an annualized 3.1%.