Ceasefire Agreement Set to Expire, Iran Remains Defiant, Market Worried About Escalation, Bitcoin Strengthens Against the Trend

BlockBeats News, April 21st - Last night and this morning, Trump reiterated multiple times that the ceasefire agreement is set to expire on Wednesday night in Washington time, and it is "highly unlikely" to be extended.

At the same time, Trump stated that Vance will go to Pakistan later on Monday, "the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the agreement is signed." On the other hand, Iran remained firm during the US stock market hours, stating "the decision not to participate in the negotiations has not changed." However, US media reported that "the Iranian delegation will arrive on Tuesday morning, timing close to the arrival time of the US delegation."

Influenced by Iran's tough stance, according to Bitget market data, on Monday the S&P 500 fell by 0.24%, the Nasdaq fell by 0.26%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained relatively flat. Crude oil prices saw a slight increase, with Brent crude oil up by 2.51%, now trading at $90.39.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, showed relative strength, possibly boosted by Strategy's significant increase in holdings. According to HTX market data, Bitcoin once again broke through $76,000 this morning, now trading at $75,853.42, with a 24-hour increase of 0.19%.

Currently, investors are highly focused on whether the US-Iran situation will escalate again. In the next day or two, whether the Iranian delegation can appear in Islamabad in time and whether the negotiations can be restarted are the market's main focus.