Bitcoin Surges Past $80,000 Amid Risk-On Sentiment and Alternative Crypto Gains
Bitcoin surged past $80,000 during U.S. trading on September 18, 2026, rebounding from an overnight low of $75,972.
The price surge coincided with a broader risk-on sentiment across financial markets, with major alternative cryptocurrencies leading gains.
Hype's HYPE rose over 11 percent to nearly $89, Zcash's ZEC gained 8 percent to $1,472, and Solana's SOL advanced 6 percent above $106.
Analysts at JPMorgan noted that short positions in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) remain near high levels for the year, whereas short interest in the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) sits below its historical average.
Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, analyst at JPMorgan, said, 'This contrast suggests that bitcoin still faces an overall more sceptical positioning backdrop than gold, perhaps due to more elevated hedging demand.'