Daily Market Update: PCE Inflation Data, Bitcoin at $67,000 and Nasdaq Recovery in Focus This Friday
TLDR
Bitcoin climbed toward $67,000 during Asian trading, with analysts calling it a relief rally rather than a trend reversal.
Large Bitcoin holders sent record inflows to Binance, a pattern that often signals selling pressure ahead.
Gold held near $5,000 as U.S.-Iran nuclear tensions drove demand for safe-haven assets.
Fed minutes showed a more hawkish tone, raising the bar for near-term rate cuts.
U.S. stock futures edged higher Friday ahead of key PCE inflation and GDP data.
Bitcoin pushed toward $67,000 during Asian trading on Friday, February 20, 2026. The move came after a volatile week across crypto and stock markets.
The broader crypto market joined the bounce. XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, and Cardano each gained up to 2%. Ether stayed below $2,000, a level traders are watching closely as key support.
Analysts are not calling this a trend reversal. The pattern looks more like a relief rally, where dip buyers push prices up before sellers use the strength to exit.
U.S. stock futures also moved higher. Dow futures rose 0.1%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.3%. The Nasdaq is on track to break a five-week losing streak with a 0.6% weekly gain.
Record Bitcoin Inflows to Binance Raise Selling Concerns
On-chain data from CryptoQuant shows large Bitcoin holders sent record inflows to Binance this week. That activity has historically come before heavier selling in spot markets.
Research firm K33 compared current conditions to the later stages of the 2022 bear market. That period led to a long consolidation phase before any real recovery took hold.
FxPro analyst Alex Kuptsikevich said the cautious tone in U.S. stocks raises the odds of retesting lows from the second half of 2024. He added that Ether would need to drop below $1,500 to confirm a true breakdown from its long-term support line.
Gold Climbs as U.S.-Iran Tensions Push Investors to Safe Havens
Gold held near $5,000 an ounce after two straight sessions of gains. Investors moved toward safe-haven assets as U.S.-Iran tensions increased.
President Trump said Thursday he would give Iran 10 to 15 days for nuclear deal talks. U.S. forces reportedly increased their presence in the region at the same time. Oil prices rose, with Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate both moving higher.
Fed’s Hawkish Tone Tightens Financial Conditions
The latest Federal Reserve minutes landed with a more hawkish tone than markets expected. Policymakers put rate hikes back on the table if inflation does not continue to cool.
SynFutures COO Wenny Cai said the Fed has effectively raised the bar for near-term rate cuts. She noted that money has shifted back toward cash and short-duration treasury bonds as a result.
Markets are now focused on Friday’s PCE inflation reading. Consensus puts headline PCE at 2.8% year over year and core PCE at 3%. First-quarter GDP data is also due Friday.
Nvidia and Dell are scheduled to report earnings next week.
