Bitcoin (BTC) Rockets Above $80K, Crushing $250M in Short Positions

Key Highlights

• BTC rallied 6% on Friday, reaching a session peak of $81,034
• Approximately $250 million worth of short positions in crypto were liquidated within a four-hour window
• The 30-year US Treasury yield jumped to 5.34%, marking a 90 basis point increase
• Analysts identify $80,000–$82,000 as a critical resistance corridor for Bitcoin
• The House committee greenlit the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve legislation on Thursday

Bitcoin experienced a dramatic upward move on Friday, piercing the $80,000 threshold as disruptions in international oil markets propelled US Treasury yields upward. The price surge coincided with the opening of Wall Street’s trading day.

The BTC/USD pair reached a session peak of $81,034 on the Bitstamp exchange, as tracked by TradingView. This upward momentum reflected a wider market rotation toward riskier assets, with traders responding to escalating energy costs.

West Texas Intermediate crude dropped to $94.8 per barrel before bouncing back. As of this writing, WTI trades near $98, with supply disruption fears maintaining pressure across energy markets.

The International Energy Agency issued a Friday warning that nations might need to reduce petroleum consumption. According to the IEA, crude oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz declined to 7.6 million barrels daily in August — representing a 13.1 million barrel shortfall compared to pre-conflict levels with Iran.

BREAKING: The SEC and CFTC are pushing ahead with crypto rules despite the CLARITY setback.

And $BTC is back above $81K.

Imagine if Washington finally got its act together. pic.twitter.com/HJ9MbzpVZw

— Merlijn The Trader (@MerlijnTrader) September 18, 2026

Against the backdrop of oil market instability, the yield on 30-year US Treasury bonds surged to 5.34%, marking a 90 basis point daily gain. These elevated yields have prompted monetary policy tightening from central banking authorities in the United States and Japan throughout the week.

Bitcoin’s rapid appreciation triggered substantial forced liquidations on the short side. According to CoinGlass tracking data, roughly $250 million in bearish crypto positions across multiple assets were eliminated during a four-hour period.

Market analyst Rekt Capital shared a technical chart on X, characterizing the current juncture as a “moment of truth” for those holding bullish positions. He highlighted $82,000 as a pivotal threshold — suggesting that failure to penetrate this level might create a double-top rejection pattern similar to the unsuccessful May recovery attempt.

Bitcoin Recovers Critical Blockchain Metric

Bitcoin has also regained its True Market Mean threshold, currently positioned at $76,660. Blockchain analytics provider Glassnode noted via X that this recovery places the asset “back above a crucial level and back into a bullish regime.”

The average acquisition price for corporate Bitcoin holdings stands at $80,500, reinforcing the significance of the current trading zone as a contested territory between bulls and bears.

Market expert Nic Puckrin, who founded Coin Bureau, explained to Yahoo Finance: “Once bitcoin broke past the resistance level around $78,000, shorts got liquidated, pushing it toward $80,000.” He continued: “The real test is now in the $80,000–$82,000 range, where resistance is much stronger.”

Bitcoin Reserve Legislation Moves Forward

In legislative developments, a House committee moved the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve proposal forward on Thursday. This legislation would secure Bitcoin currently held by the US government in a federal reserve for a minimum 20-year period, subject to regular audit requirements.

BREAKING: US House committee PASSES the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill.

The bill would lock government held Bitcoin in a federal reserve for at least 20 years and require regular audits of US Bitcoin holdings. pic.twitter.com/YbiOzeBVfe

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) September 16, 2026

The proposal cleared the committee along party lines and requires passage from both the complete House chamber and the Senate.

Bitcoin maintained its momentum despite the Clarity Act’s failure to achieve a Senate cloture vote earlier this week. Cryptocurrency derivatives market participants sustained their optimistic outlook, with substantial concentration in call option contracts entering the weekend session.