On the night of September 18-19, the price of Bitcoin surged by 5%, trading around $81,000 at the time of this report.

Hourly chart of BTC/USDT on Binance. Source: TradingView.

During the peak, Bitcoin prices reached as high as $81,600.

This upward movement positively impacted the entire cryptocurrency market. Ethereum increased by 5.8%, reaching $2,600, while Solana gained over 7%, hitting $112. Additionally, the Hyperliquid token set a new all-time high above $90.

Performance of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Source: CoinMarketCap.

The price surge was accompanied by significant liquidations, with 118,139 traders having their positions forcibly closed, totaling approximately $613.7 million. Notably, $536 million of this came from short positions.

Liquidation volume in the cryptocurrency market over the last 24 hours. Source: CoinGlass.

Concurrently, there was a resurgence of inflows into American spot Bitcoin ETFs, attracting $159 million on September 17 and $433 million on September 18.

Daily dynamics of American spot Bitcoin ETFs. Source: SoSoValue.

Market Recovers After CLARITY Act Setback

Bitcoin's price had dropped to around $75,000 on September 15 after the U.S. Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act.

The following day, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75-4%. Despite these two negative events, the market did not experience further declines.

On September 17, the SEC proposed an exemption for trading tokenized stocks through blockchain platforms. The next day, the CFTC submitted a draft of new regulations for cryptocurrency transactions and markets to the White House.

According to The Block, the market's recovery was partly attributed to ongoing regulatory actions amid the delay of the CLARITY Act.

Dan Morehead, founder of Pantera Capital, remarked that both the SEC and CFTC are taking steps that could be incorporated into future cryptocurrency market legislation. He believes the industry can thrive even without the immediate passage of the CLARITY Act.

Insights from Traders and Analysts

Michaël van de Poppe labeled the market as "bullish" even before Bitcoin crossed the $80,000 mark, identifying $76,700 as a potential point for further upward movement.

— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) September 18, 2026

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost highlighted a range of $71,300-$79,800 prior to the price increase, suggesting that the lower boundary could provide support as it represented the average cost of active Bitcoin supply. Conversely, $79,800 had previously served as resistance due to selling pressure from investors once they broke even. On September 18, Bitcoin surpassed this level.

Bitcoin's range narrows between active supply support and capital break-even resistance

➤ For now, bitcoin:native continues trading above the key active supply cost basis level.

This is a cost basis calculation where the oldest BTC have been deliberately excluded, keeping… pic.twitter.com/ZDiizgiSTY

— Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) September 17, 2026

Analysts at Santiment pointed out three factors that had weighed on market sentiment over the past week: the failure of the CLARITY Act, the Fed's interest rate hike, and recent security incidents.

They speculated that major buyers might have become more active amid heightened fear; however, there is no direct evidence to support this.

Trader Altcoin Sherpa considers the next critical level to be around $82,000, suggesting that a strong breakout above this level could lead to a move towards $100,000. Until that occurs, he does not rule out continued trading within the previous range.

Technical analyst Crypto Patel also identified $80,000 as a significant level, stating that a confirmation above it would indicate a breakout from a "bullish flag" pattern, with subsequent targets of $82,250 and $98,000.

Bitcoin Bullish Flag Pattern: Could $BTC Rally Toward $98,000 Next?

8H TECHNICAL STRUCTURE: #BTC Is Currently Trading Inside A Bullish Flag, A Classic Continuation Pattern Following The Previous Impulsive Move.

🟢 BULLISH SCENARIO: Break + 8H Close + Hold Above $80,000 → Flag… pic.twitter.com/8HVDDAWlLQ

— Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) September 18, 2026

If Bitcoin falls below $75,000, it could trigger a decline towards $71,000 and $68,000, he added. It is worth noting that following the setback of the CLARITY Act, Bitwise stated that the cryptocurrency market is capable of continuing its upward trajectory without the bill's approval.