Bitcoin climbed over 5% to trade at $71,842 as reports of a US-Iran cease-fire agreement sent a wave of relief across cryptocurrency markets. The leading digital asset reached its highest price since mid-March, signaling a potential shift in market sentiment tied to geopolitical developments.

"The market has been trading with a significant geopolitical risk premium for weeks," said Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, in a note to clients. "This cease-fire, even if temporary, is being interpreted as a major de-escalation, allowing capital to flow back into higher-beta assets like crypto."

The rally was broad-based, with Ethereum adding 7.7% to trade above $3,600, while XRP gained 5.5%, according to CoinGecko data as of 10:00 UTC. Other major altcoins, including Solana and Dogecoin, also saw significant gains, rising 6.5% and 4.4% respectively. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization increased by over 5% to $2.6 trillion.

The move pushes Bitcoin closer to its all-time high of over $73,000 set in mid-March. A sustained de-escalation in the Middle East could reduce market volatility and renew investor appetite for risk assets, potentially providing further tailwinds for the crypto market ahead of the next Federal Reserve policy meeting.

The positive sentiment extended to crypto-related equities. MicroStrategy (MSTR), a major corporate holder of Bitcoin, saw its shares rise 6.7% in pre-market trading. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (COIN) also gained 4.9%, reflecting investor optimism about increased trading volumes.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.