Bitcoin Rises, Ethereum Falls as Israel-Iran Conflict Keeps Cryptos on Edge — Barrons.com

By Brian SwintThe price of Bitcoin was rising but other cryptos were falling Tuesday as financial markets more generally paused for breath as the Israel-Iran conflict continued.Stocks and cryptos fell sharply on Friday, when Israel launched new attacks on its neighbor, but started to recover on Monday. By early Tuesday, the picture was more mixed. Index futures were slipping. Cryptocurrencies were mixed over the past 24 hours.Digital assets often trade like risky technology stocks, with the potential to rise sharply when market optimism is strong, but they can also be volatile when sentiment shifts. When geopolitical tensions flare up, markets often fall initially and then build back up as traders assess how serious the situation is.Bitcoin, the largest and oldest crypto, added 0.2% to $106,850 over the past 24 hours. It's still not far from the record high of about $111,000. XRP added 2.4%. Ethereum, the second-biggest coin, was down 1.4% and Solana retreated 2.3%.There could be more up and down swings this week as events in the Middle East develop. After reports that Iran was seeking an end to hostilities, President Donald Trump left a Group of Seven nations meeting a day early. In a social media post, he said he's working on "something bigger" than a cease fire.Write to Brian Swint 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.