Analysis: In 2026, Bitcoin's price surge was concentrated in the North American trading session, with the Asian trading session dragging down overall performance.

BlockBeats News, January 14th, according to CoinDesk, Bitcoin briefly hit $96,000, marking a nearly 10% increase since 2026. This upward trend was mainly driven by a strong performance during the North American trading session. According to Velo data, Bitcoin saw a cumulative return of about 8% during the North American session. In contrast, the European session saw only a modest 3% price increase, while the Asian trading session dragged down the overall performance.

This trend is in stark contrast to the situation at the end of 2025. At that time, Bitcoin saw a cumulative 20% decline during the North American trading session at the end of November, reaching a low of nearly $80,000. During the fourth quarter, the U.S. market opening often saw selling pressure on Bitcoin, and spot Bitcoin ETFs faced almost daily outflows. The strongest returns are currently occurring shortly after the U.S. market opens, which over the past six months has been the period when Bitcoin has shown its weakest performance.

The U.S. trading session does not necessarily represent the trading activity of U.S. investors, as the price performance during these sessions reflects the fluctuations on U.S. domestic exchanges and overseas exchanges like Binance. Therefore, the strong returns during the U.S. market session may coexist with a Coinbase premium, indicating that the demand may be coming from global participants rather than U.S. domestic buyers.