Bitcoin Climbs to $68,600 as U.S. Equities Trim Losses and Rate Cut Bets Fade Ahead of March Fed Meeting

Bitcoin has rebounded in early U.S. trading on Monday, rising to $68,600 for a 2.3% gain over the past 24 hours as U.S. stock indices show only slight declines despite ongoing conflict in the Middle East and higher oil prices. Ether is up 1.4%, while solana and XRP are posting similar advances, and crypto-related equities are outperforming, led by Circle's 12% gain, with Strategy up 6% and Galaxy Digital ahead 4.7%. Roughly an hour into the U.S. session, the Nasdaq is lower by just 0.1% after overnight futures had indicated a drop of more than 2%, and the S&P 500 and DJIA are also reporting modest losses. On the macro front, the ISM manufacturing PMI printed at 52.4, extending sector expansion and marking the first back-to-back growth streak since the fourth quarter of 2022, while Friday's Chicago Business Barometer rose to 57.7 in February 2026 from 54, both readings helping, alongside hotter-than-expected PPI and geopolitical tensions, to push expectations for a March Federal Reserve rate cut effectively off the table ahead of the March 18 meeting.