The ceasefire agreement is about to expire, and Iran still refuses to relent, causing market concerns over escalating tensions. Bitcoin moves against the trend and strengthens.

Mars Finance News, April 21 — Over the past night and this morning, Trump repeatedly reiterated that the ceasefire agreement will expire on Wednesday evening Washington time, at which point it is “highly unlikely” that the ceasefire agreement will be extended. At the same time, Trump said Vance will travel to Pakistan later on Monday night, “before the agreement is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened.”

On the other hand, Iran during US stock market hours insisted on its position of “refusing to bow,” saying that “the decision not to participate in negotiations has not changed.” However, media reports say that “the Iranian delegation will arrive on Tuesday morning, at a time close to the arrival time of the US delegation.”

Affected by Iran’s tough stance, according to market data, the S&P 500 fell 0.24% on Monday, the Nasdaq fell 0.26%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was basically flat. Oil prices rose slightly: Brent crude rose 2.51% to $90.39. Bitcoin, however, was relatively strong—possibly boosted by Strategy’s major increase in holdings. According to HTX market data, Bitcoin once again broke above $76,000 this morning, trading at $75,853.42, with a 24-hour gain of 0.19%.

Investors are currently highly focused on whether the US-Iran situation will escalate again. In the next one or two days, whether the Iranian delegation can appear in Islamabad in time and whether the talks can be restarted are the main market concerns.