Bitcoin Price Jumps. What's Driving Cryptos' Strong Start to 2026. — Barrons.com
By Callum KeownBitcoin and other cryptocurrencies jumped Monday as digital assets continued their strong start to the year.The moves came as both risk assets and traditional havens moved higher to begin the first full trading week of 2026. Futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq index were rising — and cryptos have moved in tandem with tech stocks in recent weeks. Gold and silver were surging as geopolitical risks mounted following the surprise U.S. military capture and extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.Bitcoin, once dubbed 'digital gold', hasn't acted like a haven lately and is more likely following the tech move, while also finding support after a tough end to 2025.The price of Bitcoin was trading at $92,567 early in the day, up 1.4% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinDesk data. That's its highest level since Dec. 12. The world's largest cryptocurrency is up close to 6% since the year began.Altcoins were also rising — Ethereum, the second largest crypto, climbed 0.8% to $3,161, while XRP was up 3.4% at $2.15.Bitcoin still remains around 27% off its record high of above $126,000 reached in early October. But sustained trading above the $90,000 is a positive sign if the cryptocurrency is to start working its way closer to those highs.Write to Callum Keown at [email protected] content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.