Bitcoin Breaks $74K as Altcoins Surge — Crypto Defies Middle East Conflict

Bitcoin briefly topped seventy-four thousand dollars on Monday, outperforming gold and equities amid Middle East geopolitical tensions. The rally marks Bitcoin's best week since September 2025, with institutional inflows returning as correlation with tech stocks weakens. Strategy added one point five seven billion in Bitcoin, pushing holdings past seven hundred sixty-one thousand BTC. Ethereum surged seven percent to twenty-two hundred sixty-one dollars while memecoins like PEPE jumped nineteen percent. Meanwhile, the SEC and CFTC signed a historic memo to coordinate crypto regulation, Bithumb faces a twenty-four million dollar fine, and Wall Street exchanges accelerate tokenized stock development despite institutional hesitation. Plus, AI agents reshape prediction markets, Trump-backed WLFI passes staking proposal, and Metaplanet raises two hundred fifty-five million for Bitcoin accumulation.