Bitcoin Breaks Out as Nasdaq Sets Record and Oil Slides on Iran Optimism
Optimism (OP)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
mqzbna.com reports that Bitcoin surged past $86,500 on Tuesday, breaking through a ceiling that had limited its rally throughout September. This move pushed total crypto market capitalization above $3 trillion, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index reading 79 in greed territory. The breakout coincided with a record Nasdaq Composite close on Monday, up 2.26%, driven by AI-linked stocks like Intel and AMD.
While the Nasdaq rose 0.4% on Tuesday, oil prices dropped as Brent crude slipped below $98 and WTI fell under $93. These declines followed reports that Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington eases pressure. President Donald Trump stated at the U.N. General Assembly that he expects a deal with Iran right after the November midterms.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4% on September 16 due to hot inflation data. Despite the hike, the Fed resumed regular purchases of short-term Treasury bills to keep bank reserves ample, preventing its balance sheet from shrinking. Bitcoin has now entered a golden cross, with Fibonacci extensions pointing to next targets at $90,763 and $95,074.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for OP, measured when this story was written up on 22 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Optimism (OP) is trading at $0.1275 on Binance with a 24-hour buy ratio of 50.9%, indicating a near-even split between buyers and sellers. The 1-hour buy ratio stands at 54.5% and the 4-hour ratio at 53.1%, showing that short-term buying pressure is slightly stronger than the daily average. Volume delta is positive across all timeframes, with the 24-hour delta reaching +$259,650, which means buyers are absorbing more sell-side liquidity than sellers are absorbing from the buy side. This cumulative volume delta of +$345,787 confirms that net buying has been active for 16 of the last 24 hours. The flow suggests that buyers are currently in control of the immediate order flow, pushing the price higher through consistent absorption of supply.
The latest daily buy ratio of 49.0% sits at the 34th percentile of the last 323 days, against a median of 50.1% - ordinary for this coin.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for OP, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, OP saw a 7-day average buy ratio of 52.2%, compared to today's 24-hour ratio of 50.9%, showing a slight 1.3 percentage point decrease in buying intensity. However, spot volume was 1.47 times the average, indicating that trading activity is significantly elevated compared to normal days. The coin experienced a 24.5% price increase over eight days, supported by net buying on six of the seven days. This week's volume delta totaled +$3,286,893, demonstrating sustained accumulation over the longer timeframe. While today's buying ratio is marginally lower than the weekly average, the elevated volume and positive delta suggest that this is an unusually active trading day driven by strong participation.