Analyst: Rapid De-escalation of US-Iran Conflict and Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF Launch May Drive Bitcoin Prices Up

On April 1, CoinDesk reported that Trump stated he expects the Iran war to end within two to three weeks, without any preconditions for an agreement with Iran. He announced that he would deliver a national address at 9 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi subsequently informed the President of the European Council that Tehran ‘has the necessary willingness to end this war,’ but demands guarantees against future attacks. Following this news, stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region surged, and S&P 500 futures also rose. In contrast, the cryptocurrency market reacted more mildly, with Bitcoin fluctuating between $65,000 and $73,000 throughout the war. Alex Blume, CEO of Two Prime, pointed out that three major catalysts could drive Bitcoin prices higher in the second quarter: the launch of Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF, ongoing funding for Bitcoin purchases through STRC preferred shares under Strategy, and the swift resolution of the Iran war. The Bitcoin ETF approved for Morgan Stanley has a fee rate of only 14 basis points, lower than the average of similar products at 11 basis points, and will open channels to its 16,000 financial advisors and the $6.2 trillion in assets they manage.