Bitcoin soared above $91,000 on Sunday as traders extended an early 2026 rebound in major tokens, with ether, solana and cardano posting broad gains as geopolitical headlines from Venezuela bolstered risk appetite.
Bitcoin was trading around $91,300 in the morning in Asia, up about 1.4% on the day and more than 4% over seven days. Ether rose about 1% to near $3,150 and is up about 7% for the week, while solana has gained about 1.6% and is up more than 8% over seven days. XRP sits just above $2, up about 0.6% on the day and almost 10% on the week, while cardano was slightly higher on the day and up about 8% in seven days.
The move follows a strong selloff that eliminated saturated positioning and reset short-term leverage.
Data showed that around $180 million in futures positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours, with around $133 million from short positions and $47 million from long positions. The imbalance suggests traders were caught bucking the rally, forcing buybacks as prices rose.
Sunday’s gains also came as traders reacted to the rapidly evolving political situation in Venezuela.
President Donald Trump has said the United States plans to “rule” Venezuela, while the White House has provided few details about what that would entail. Venezuela’s Supreme Court granted Vice President Delcy Rodríguez full presidential powers on an interim basis after ousted President Nicolás Maduro was arrested by the United States.
Trump also signaled his focus on Venezuela’s oil, saying the United States would have a “presence in Venezuela as it relates to oil,” and suggested that U.S. troops on the ground would not be needed if Rodríguez “does what we want.”
Crypto traders often treat these headlines as a catalyst for volatility rather than a direct macroeconomic driver, but the tone of risk can still matter.
In periods of lower liquidity, even modest spot demand can push prices beyond technical levels and trigger stop moves in the futures markets.
This dynamic is amplified when shorts are positioned for a pullback, as forced covering can turn a higher grind into a sharper breakout.
