Bitcoin Bounces to $77,400 as Senate Curbs Trump's Iran War Powers — Five-Day Losing Streak May Be Over

Major cryptocurrencies rebounded during Wednesday's Asian trading session after the US Senate voted 50-47 to pass a resolution curbing President Trump's Iran war powers — easing the geopolitical uncertainty that has been one of the primary drivers of crypto's five-day losing streak and providing the first meaningful positive catalyst markets have seen since the CLARITY Act advanced through committee last week. Bitcoin climbed to $77,200, up 0.5% since midnight UTC. XRP, Ether, and Solana each gained between 0.4% and 0.8% according to CoinDesk data — modest moves but a meaningful directional shift after five consecutive days of losses that had pulled Bitcoin back from $82,000 to near $76,000. Why the Senate Iran vote matters for markets The Senate's 50-47 vote to pass the war powers resolution came after seven failed attempts since the US-Iran conflict began in late February — making it a significant political development as well as a market catalyst. The conflict and its disruption to the Strait of Hormuz have been among the primary drivers of oil's 66% surge since February, which in turn has fed into the inflation re-acceleration narrative that pushed Federal Reserve rate hike odds to nearly 50% and triggered the recent wave of Bitcoin ETF outflows. Wednesday's vote does not end the conflict but signals meaningful Congressional pushback against its continuation — enough to move oil and bond markets noticeably. WTI crude futures fell 0.75% to $103.42, pulling back from the $108 levels seen earlier in the week. Yields on the 10-year and 2-year Treasury notes fell by more than two basis points each. Nasdaq futures rose 0.33%. The combination of lower oil, lower yields, and higher equity futures provided the risk-on backdrop crypto needed to snap its losing run. Trump's Fed payment services directive adds crypto tailwind Adding to Wednesday's positive sentiment, President Trump on Tuesday directed the Federal Reserve to review how depository institutions may be granted access to payment services — a development with direct implications for the crypto industry, which has long struggled to secure stable banking relationships and integrate into the traditional financial system. "Wider access to payment rails and depository services can improve institutional confidence, liquidity, settlement efficiency, and long-term adoption," said Naeem Aslam, CIO at Zaye Capital Markets. The directive stops short of mandating any specific outcome but signals White House interest in removing the banking access friction that has constrained crypto firms' ability to operate within regulated financial infrastructure. FOMC Minutes: The Next Catalyst With the geopolitical pressure easing modestly and sentiment stabilizing, markets are now focused on the April FOMC minutes scheduled for release at 18:00 UTC on Wednesday — the most important scheduled macro event of the week for crypto markets. "The April FOMC meeting minutes are due Wednesday at 18:00 UTC and will be parsed for how persistently above-target inflation is being weighted against growth risks," said Dessislava Ianeva, analyst at Nexo. Markets will be looking specifically for any language suggesting Fed committee members discussed rate hikes rather than simply holding — a hawkish signal that could reverse Wednesday's early risk-on move. Conversely, any indication that the committee views current inflation as manageable without further tightening would be read as dovish and could extend the crypto rebound into the US session. The Bigger Picture: Fragile Recovery Wednesday's bounce is welcome but needs context. Bitcoin is recovering from a five-day slide that erased all gains from the prior week and saw $1.5 billion exit spot Bitcoin ETFs since May 7. The Binance Fear and Greed Index sits at 40 — firmly in Fear territory. Polymarket still gives a 65% probability that Bitcoin falls to $75,000 this month. And the underlying ETF flow, CVD, and options data that pointed to further downside earlier this week have not yet reversed. The Senate's Iran vote and the Fed payment services directive are genuine positive developments. Whether they are enough to shift the trend or merely provide a brief reprieve before the next test of $76,000 support will become clearer once the FOMC minutes land at 18:00 UTC.