Technical and sentiment indicators turned positive.
Bitcoin (BTC) climbed sharply above $90,000 after U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency rose nearly 5% over the past three days, lifting the total value of the market by about $100 billion, as traders digested the implications of Washington’s dramatic intervention in Venezuela and its potential impact on oil prices.
While some analysts described Bitcoin’s rally as an early signal of broader market stress, certain bullish commentators revived long-standing calls for prices as high as $1 million.
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Trump confirmed that U.S. forces had taken Maduro into custody in what he described as a large-scale military operation, saying Washington would temporarily assume control to oversee a “judicious transition.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to a detention facility in New York, according to Forbes.
Speaking after the operation, Trump said the U.S. would take charge of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and invite U.S. energy companies to invest billions of dollars to repair the country’s damaged infrastructure.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies—the biggest anywhere in the world—go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure,” Trump said.
Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven crude reserves, estimated by analysts to be worth more than $17 trillion at current prices.
“Most people do not realize how much the world just changed,” analysts at the Kobeissi Letter wrote on X, adding that the first reaction in oil markets would be critical for global assets.
Bitcoin’s an Early Barometer
Lark Davis, an analyst and author of the WealthMastery crypto newsletter, told Forbes that traders were using Bitcoin as a hedge while traditional markets remained closed.
“This makes Bitcoin the front-running indicator of sentiment,” Davis said in a note, adding that if the fallout centred on oil, “this may be just the beginning.”
“If that’s the case, oil prices could drop a lot on this news,” he added.
Bitcoin has often attracted inflows during periods of heightened political or monetary uncertainty, particularly when investors fear longer-term pressure on the U.S. dollar.
$1 Million Calls Return
The rally also revived ultra-bullish forecasts from prominent Bitcoin advocates.
Mike Alfred, a crypto investor and commentator, said the manner of the U.S. action marked a fundamental shift in global power dynamics that could accelerate Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory.
“Trump just unilaterally removed a foreign head of state,” Alfred wrote on X.
“No international law, no proxy war, no clandestine operations. This is a massive shift in the playbook,” he added.
Mike Alfred has remained bullish. | Source: X
The bullish investor, who previously predicted Bitcoin heading to $250,000, said the asset could be “heading to $1 million sooner than I expected.”
When challenged by another user on the connection between the operation and Bitcoin, Alfred replied: “Think deeper. Watch and learn.”
Such bullish price targets remain far outside mainstream forecasts, but they underscore how some investors see geopolitical shocks as a further reason for mega growth in crypto.
Trump, Venezuela and The Bitcoin Rebound
According to CCN analysis, digital assets rebounded quickly after the initial headlines, helped by a surge in trading activity tied to the event.
Three factors drove the surge, according to CCN analysis:
Social media has seen an increase in memecoin mentions.
Historical parallels to the 1989 capture of Manuel Noriega provided a “nostalgia” narrative for older traders.
Bitcoin’s price surged above $90,000, which allowed traders to rotate capital into high-risk, high-reward tokens.
“I don’t think we’ll see a widespread correction based on the attack on Venezuela,” analyst Michaël van de Poppe said on X, calling the operation “planned and coordinated” and largely priced in by the market.
Adding: “I would assume we’ll see Bitcoin north of $90,000 in the coming week.”
Technical Signals Point Higher, With Risks
Victor Olanrewaju, a CCN analyst, said Bitcoin’s latest move marked a clear technical breakout.
He noted that the price had moved above the upper trendline of a symmetrical triangle pattern on the daily chart and cleared resistance near $91,500.
BTC/USD Daily Chart | Credit: TradingView
“This surge occurred as a result of buying pressure,” he said, pointing to the Awesome Oscillator turning positive for the first time since mid-October.
If momentum holds, Olanrewaju said Bitcoin could push toward $98,000 and potentially above $100,000 in a strongly bullish market.
However, he warned that failure to sustain the breakout could see prices slip back below the $85,000 support zone.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
