Bitcoin Rises to Three-Week High. What's Happening in the Market

RBK-cryptoPublished on 2026-01-05Last updated on 2026-01-05

Abstract

Bitcoin surged to a three-week high, briefly exceeding $93,000, driven by geopolitical uncertainty following the reported capture of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces. As of 11:30 Moscow time, BTC was trading around $92,600, with the overall crypto market cap rising to $3.15 trillion. Analysts attribute the rally to several key factors: geopolitical events creating market volatility, the crypto market acting as a primary liquid venue over the weekend when traditional markets were closed, and investors interpreting the news as positive for risk assets. The growth is also fueled by post-holiday investor return, continued accumulation by institutional investors, and a record $471 million inflow into US spot Bitcoin ETFs. Positive momentum is further supported by corporate BTC buying for reserves and a lack of selling from miners and large funds.

"RBC-Crypto" does not provide investment advice, the material is published for informational purposes only. Cryptocurrency is a volatile asset that can lead to financial losses.

On the night of January 5, the price of Bitcoin reached a three-week high, exceeding $93 thousand against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American special forces.

As of 11:30 Moscow time, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading around $92.6 thousand, and the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap is at $3.16 thousand, representing a gain of about 1.5% over the past 24 hours and roughly 6% since the start of the year. The rise has also affected other cryptocurrencies — the total market capitalization has grown to $3.15 trillion, representing about a 6% increase over the same period.

"Traders are closely monitoring geopolitical events, which remain a key source of volatility in global markets," The Block quotes analysts from Presto Research.

Jeff Ko from CoinEx Research explained that with traditional markets closed over the weekend, the crypto market became the main liquid platform for reacting to events. The rise indicates that investors are interpreting the news as positive for risk assets like cryptocurrencies.

The growth is driven by investors returning after the holidays and continued accumulation by institutional investors, believes Nick Ruck of LVRG Research. He also noted an inflow of capital into US Bitcoin-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which reached a record $471 million since November at the end of the trading session on January 2.

Bitcoin, which lagged behind the stock market rally in 2025, hit a three-week high for the first time since December 11. As Sean McNulty from FalconX told Bloomberg, the positive movement is primarily driven by companies accumulating BTC for corporate reserves, as well as the absence of sales from miners and large funds.

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