Strong Start to April: BTC Bounces Back Ahead of Trump’s Tariff Speech

April has kicked off with strength, as Bitcoin reclaims $85K after a poor end to March. Just days out from Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’, volatility is front and centre—two days ago, BTC was sliding toward $80K, down nearly 10% in just four days. This sharp turnaround is a textbook case of the choppy price action we can expect to see as Q2 gets underway.

The elephant in the room remains the uncertainty around Trump’s next wave of tariffs. He’s scheduled to speak tomorrow at 7am AEST, where he's expected to announce new measures. Historically, these announcements have triggered bearish reactions—but interestingly, both Bitcoin and the S&P500 are green into the event, with the latter up nearly 0.5% on the day. Could this suggest investors are starting to price in a more balanced outcome? Possibly. But if this year has taught us anything, it’s that Trump’s speeches and posts have repeatedly reversed market momentum at critical inflection points.

Bitcoin’s recovery saw the broader crypto market follow suit. Ethereum, Ondo, Sui, and Sonic all posted gains of over 5%. Solana underperformed, up just 1.4%. BTC has now confirmed a bullish structure after holding a higher low—refusing to break below $80K during the recent sell-off. That said, momentum still leans bearish. Bulls may control the structure, but bears continue to dictate momentum. With both sides battling for control, tomorrow's speech could be the catalyst that breaks the deadlock.

Stormrake Spotlight: Ripple (XRP) ($2.12)

XRP followed the market higher yesterday, closing up 2.37%—a green day, but still lagging behind Bitcoin and most majors. The bounce comes just as XRP flirted with the lower end of its trading range. However, with the monthly pivot points (CPR) now reset, momentum appears to be fading. April’s CPR dots (green, blue, red) have dropped from March levels and are now acting as immediate resistance.

As long as XRP consolidates above $1.98—the range bottom—this zone remains a key area for potential accumulation.

BTC/USD Key Levels and Price Action:

BTC has bounced cleanly from key support and pushed all the way up to test resistance at $85.2K. This move has re-established a bullish structure and, temporarily at least, flipped short-term momentum back to the bulls. Despite April’s CPR levels printing lower than March, BTC has already cleared two of them. A confirmed break above $85.2K opens the door to higher prices.

However, if resistance holds and price pulls back, bulls need to defend $82.6K. A higher low above that zone keeps the bullish structure intact.

BTC Total ETF Flows for 1 April: $ - 72.4 million

*All prices are denominated in USD unless stated otherwise*

Written by Alexandar Artis

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