Bitcoin slips under $72K

Bitcoin fell back below $72,000 on April 13 after U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad ended without a deal and traders cut risk. (gmanetwork.com) (crypto.com) U.S. and Iranian negotiators spent 21 hours in Pakistan before leaving without an agreement on Sunday, April 12. Reuters reported that both sides blamed each other for the collapse, and President Donald Trump then said the United States would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz. (gmanetwork.com) (yahoo.com) Bitcoin traded near $71,000 to $71,300 early Monday, depending on the venue, after changing hands above $73,000 over the prior 24 hours. CoinMarketCap showed a 24-hour range of $72,556 to $73,784, while Crypto.com showed bitcoin near $71,055 and CoinGecko showed about $70,823 when their pages were crawled. (coinmarketcap.com) (crypto.com) (coingecko.com) Crypto traders have been treating Middle East headlines like a switch for risk appetite this month. When a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced earlier in April, bitcoin briefly reclaimed the $72,000 area; when the talks broke down, that move reversed. (coinspeaker.com) (coindesk.com 1) (coindesk.com 2) The immediate market link runs through oil, the dollar, and expectations for inflation and interest rates. Reuters said the dollar strengthened after the failed talks as investors moved into traditional safe-haven assets, a pattern that often pressures speculative trades like crypto. (msn.com) The $70,000 line has become the level traders keep watching. CoinDesk reported on April 7 that bitcoin briefly touched $70,000 as exchange-traded fund inflows pointed to institutional buying, and several crypto market reports on April 13 described that zone as the nearest support area. (coindesk.com) (fxleaders.com) (analyticsinsight.net) Institutional demand has not disappeared during the selloff. SoSoValue’s bitcoin exchange-traded fund dashboard was still showing daily flow tracking, and multiple market reports said U.S. spot bitcoin funds logged their strongest one-day inflow in weeks on April 6. (sosovalue.com) (crowdfundinsider.com) That leaves bitcoin caught between two forces at once: macro headlines pushing traders toward cash and exchange-traded fund buyers stepping in on dips. For now, the market is testing whether $70,000 is a floor or just the next stop lower. (msn.com) (coindesk.com)