Bitcoin and other virtual assets turned lower after resuming clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, despite gains on expectations for U.S.-Iran cease-fire talks that briefly pushed it above $82,000 intraday.
As of 8:15 a.m. on the 8th, on CoinMarketCap, a live virtual asset quote site, bitcoin was down 1.58% from 24 hours earlier at $79,941. Bitcoin at one point the previous day rose to $82,800, showing strength, but then fell. Ethereum fell 2.33% to $2,289, and Ripple (XRP) fell 2.45% to $1.38. Binance Coin (BNB) fell 1.54% to $636.
In the market, observers said the view that the United States and Iran were nearing a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz spurred risk asset appetite. In fact, Bitcoin has shown short-term surges whenever expectations for easing tensions in the Middle East have grown recently.
However, CNN reported that U.S. Central Command said that morning it targeted Iran after it carried out missile, drone and small-boat attacks on a U.S. Navy vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. With the resumption of U.S.-Iran hostilities, virtual assets, which are categorized as risk assets, also appeared weaker.