Why Bitcoin Is Up Today
Key Points
Bitcoin rose as oil prices eased, giving investors some relief from inflation and rate concerns.
The SEC issued temporary conditional relief for certain tokenized-stock trading venues.
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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is up 5.8% in the last 24 hours as of 2:54 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, as lower oil prices and a regulatory change from the SEC lift the crypto market.
The S&P 500 lost 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite was flat in Friday's session.
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Oil's retreat eased one source of rate anxiety
Bitcoin's rebound comes after a rough stretch for assets that investors view as risky. Oil prices surged earlier in the week -- international benchmark Brent Crude nearly hit $110 on Monday -- feeding worries about inflation. That helped push the 30-year Treasury yield higher.
By early afternoon on Friday, Brent crude is back below $104, and while the 30-year is still elevated, it's down nearly 1% from Tuesday's high.
When bond yields rise, investors tend to move out of "risk-on" assets like Bitcoin as the safe returns of U.S. Treasuries look more attractive.
Image source: Getty Images.
The SEC gave crypto markets a limited win
After a comprehensive crypto bill failed to advance in the Senate on Tuesday, the SEC approved a five-year exception for companies to trade "tokenized" U.S. stocks.
The bottom line
The whole crypto market surged on Friday, but with the macro environment changing from day to day, I would caution investors from seeing this as the start of a major rally, long-term, Bitcoin can still be a valuable addition to a well-diversified portfolio.
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Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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