Investors who expected the cryptocurrency market to remain an isolated island had to brutally revise their views.
Geopolitics and the Fed, i.e., the new chart architects
When a new conflict or global supply‑chain changes loom on the horizon, capital nervously seeks an exit, causing the price to tremble sharply.
The current factors affecting the crypto market were described in an FXMAG interview by Ignacio Aguirre, CMO of Bitget.
“Currently, the BTC/USD rate is mainly influenced by: geopolitical tensions affecting investor sentiment and capital outflows toward safe assets, changing regulatory situations (e.g., the CLARITY Act), and cyclical post‑halving trends combined with institutional capital inflows into ETF funds,” he said.
While cyclical supply constraints provide long‑term support, short‑term volatility is largely due to macroeconomic uncertainty and Fed policy signals.
It is clear that it is not technology, but crowd psychology driven by central banks that is dealing cards today.
The current BTC price on April 15, 2026 is 73,716 USD.
Chart. Bitcoin price (BTC/USD)
Source: TradingView
See also: Bitcoin price before the burst or crash? Expert: “The cryptocurrency started reacting unusually.” Here’s how ETH/USD is doing
Ethereum steps out of Bitcoin’s shadow
For months investors observed an anomaly where Bitcoin broke new records while Ethereum seemed to stay in a lull.
Recent weeks, however, brought a visible change in value.
“Recent better results of Ethereum compared to Bitcoin indicate a potential capital rotation toward smart‑contract ecosystems, driven by increased blockchain activity, upcoming network upgrades, and catching up after a prolonged period of weak performance,” he said, Ignacio Aguirre.
“This suggests growing investor confidence in ETH’s utility in DeFi and tokenization, although the cryptocurrency remains more volatile than BTC, which is a store of value,” he added.
The current ETH price is 2,326 USD.
Chart. Ethereum price (ETH/USD)
Source: TradingView
See also: Bitcoin price fell 50% from ATH. Expert warns. “The real game‑changer” will change BTC/USD direction?
When will the altcoin season arrive? Expert gave price forecasts
Retail investors wonder when the smaller projects will “shoot.” Historically, altcoins have generated the highest returns, but the current cycle seems clearly dominated by institutional seriousness around Bitcoin.
The full altcoin season will most likely arrive in the later phase of the cycle, when Bitcoin dominance peaks and starts to fall, because historical trends show that after BTC stabilizes, capital moves from major cryptocurrencies to altcoins.
In the near term the market will remain dominated by BTC and ETH due to institutional investor interest and ETF fund flows, with occasional spikes in some altcoins, but they will not yet have a widespread character,” he said, Ignacio Aguirre.
Short‑term forecasts always carry risk, but experts with large market exposure see clear price corridors.
In the near future we can expect BTC/USD to oscillate in the 70,000–85,000 USD range, with the potential to rise above 90,000 USD if the macroeconomic situation improves and capital inflows accelerate.
ETH/USD could reach 2,200–3,000 USD, and with upgrades and asset rotation, larger gains are possible; in an optimistic scenario the target level by year‑end would be close to 3,500 USD,” the expert summed up.
Geopolitics is now at the center of both traditional markets and the crypto market.
Every piece of US inflation news or military movement in the Middle East moves valuations more than ever before.
This is the price of Bitcoin’s mainstreaming.
See also: Bitcoin price through the crash? Weeks of uncertainty hit the market. Investors await the final BTC/USD direction
