Bitcoin stalls near $80K amid yen strength and US-Iran tensions

Bitcoin (BTC) remained under pressure on Wednesday, failing to reclaim $80,000 as macroeconomic concerns and currency interventions dominated market sentiment. The cryptocurrency’s daily decline of around 0.4% underscored broader headwinds, including escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which pushed Brent crude oil above $101 per barrel and WTI crude above $96 per barrel—both new three-month highs. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen strengthened to its highest level since February, trading at around 153 per dollar, or roughly 6.5% higher since early August, as speculative short positions neared record levels above 5 trillion yen.