Bitcoin Holds $80K as MARA Sells $1.5B, Exodus Dumps 1,076 BTC and CPI Spike Threatens Fed Pivot

Bitcoin News

Publicly listed wallet maker Exodus is broadening its remit from self-custody software into the broader crypto payments stack, anchored by the rollout of its Exodus Pay platform across the United States and Europe. The firm completed acquisitions of Monavate and Baanx and unveiled XO Cash, a dollar-pegged stablecoin pitched as the first designed for AI agents. To fund the pivot and clear a Bitcoin-backed loan from Galaxy, Exodus cut its BTC treasury from 1,704 coins to 628—roughly $87 million liquidated—while lifting cash reserves to nearly $73 million. Shares closed Tuesday at $6.97, down 9.6% on the day.

Nasdaq-listed miner MARA Holdings sold 20,880 BTC for roughly $1.5 billion during Q1 2026 to refinance debt and pivot toward artificial intelligence infrastructure. The firm channeled $1 billion of the proceeds into retiring 30% of its convertible notes, trimming the debt load from $3.3 billion to $2.3 billion and booking a $71 million extinguishment gain. MARA also struck a near-$1.5 billion deal to acquire Long Ridge Energy, a 505-megawatt Ohio gas plant. The miner posted a $1.26 billion net loss for the quarter, more than double a year earlier, and is cutting 15% of its workforce.

Strategy, the Michael Saylor-led firm formerly known as MicroStrategy, remains the corporate face of Bitcoin accumulation after rebranding in early 2025 and dropping the "Micro" tag. Originally a business-intelligence software vendor founded in 1989, the company became the largest publicly traded BTC holder after first adding the asset to its treasury in 2020. In 2026, management softened its long-standing "never sell" pledge to "never be a net seller," preserving optionality around capital returns while reaffirming Saylor's long-term conviction that Bitcoin should anchor the corporate balance sheet.

Headline inflation in the United States accelerated to 3.8% year-on-year in April, the hottest print since May 2023, with core CPI climbing 0.4% on the month versus a 0.3% consensus. Energy costs—amplified by the ongoing US-Iran conflict and an oil-supply squeeze—drove more than 40% of the monthly gain. Rate-hike odds for 2026 jumped above 35% on the CME FedWatch tool, jolting risk assets. The Nasdaq slid 1.3% while Bitcoin held steady near $80,500, outperforming major altcoins like ether and XRP, which retreated roughly 2.5%.

Bitcoin traders are now squaring off with the 200-day simple moving average, which sits near $82,430 alongside the upper boundary of a rising wedge pattern. One closely watched whale—wallet "pension-usdt.eth"—is sitting on roughly $13 million in unrealized losses on a 1,000 BTC short opened near $67,990, with full liquidation triggered at $100,810. The trader, who once ran a 20-win streak with an 85%+ hit rate, has publicly reaffirmed the position. A rejection at the 200-day trend would open downside toward a measured wedge target near $71,500.

Bitcoin dominance has rebounded from a late-2025 trough near 54% to roughly 58.5%, signaling a consolidation regime rather than a broad rotation into altcoins. The metric peaked between 62% and 63% in mid-2025 before draining as speculative capital fanned out across smaller-cap assets. The current rebound has coincided with BTC's recovery from February lows near $63,000 back toward the $80,000 area. Pockets of relative strength in TON, ZEC and DOGE hint that an alt expansion could be brewing, but a sustained bull market for smaller assets likely requires dominance to roll over decisively.

Bitcoin is trading at $80,761 with a market capitalization of roughly $1.61 trillion and 24-hour volume near $15.6 billion. The 24-hour change of -1.45% leaves price hugging immediate support at $80,494, with deeper bids stacked at $79,089 and $77,905. Resistance clusters at $81,742 and $83,682—broadly aligned with the 200-day SMA flagged by chartists—before $89,065. RSI at 60.59 sits in bullish-but-not-overbought territory, and the MACD remains constructive, validating the broader uptrend. A daily close above $83,682 would open $89,000; a slip below $79,089 would invalidate the bullish setup and re-expose the $77,900 shelf.