Leading cryptocurrencies staged a strong relief rally on Wednesday, while the stock market also closed higher even as the Middle East war entered its fifth day.

Cryptocurrency 24-Hour Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 8:30 p.m. ET)
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) +6.21% $72,819.64
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH)
               
+6.77% $2,123.37
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP)                          +4.37% $1.42
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL)                          +3.45% $90.36
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE)              +8.29% $0.09757

Crypto Spike Wipes Millions In Shorts

Bitcoin rebounded to $74,000 for the first time in a month, with trading volume surging 52% over the last 24 hours. 

Ethereum teased $2,200 fueled by similar buying pressure, while XRP and Solana also rallied.

Shares of cryptocurrency-related companies also rebounded, as Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) and Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN), closed up 10.37% and 14.57%, respectively.

Nearly $600 million was liquidated from the market in the last 24 hours, according to Coinglass, with $477 million in bearish shorts alone wiped out.

Open interest in Bitcoin futures exploded 11.49% over the last 24 hours. Interestingly, retail derivative traders on Binance bet on an imminent correction, as short positions exceeded longs.

Despite …

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