Bitcoin Holds Above $80K as Altcoins and Crypto Stocks Rally on Strong Market Momentum

Bitcoin’s steady hold above the $80,000 level helped fuel another wave of bullish momentum across the cryptocurrency market on Friday, as investors increased exposure to altcoins and blockchain-related equities. The broader risk-on sentiment followed strong gains in U.S. stock markets, with both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closing at fresh record highs.

Major altcoins posted impressive gains during the session. Solana (SOL), Chainlink (LINK), Sui (SUI), and Polkadot (DOT) each climbed around 5%, while Near Protocol (NEAR) and Uniswap (UNI) advanced nearly 7%. Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) led the rally among large-cap digital assets, surging close to 12% as traders rotated into blockchain infrastructure tokens.

The rally coincided with another positive day for equities. The Nasdaq jumped 2.2%, while the S&P 500 added 0.85%, reflecting continued investor confidence in growth assets. Market sentiment also improved after the latest U.S. labor report showed the economy added 115,000 jobs in April, well above analyst expectations of 62,000. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%, reinforcing optimism about economic stability.

Crypto-related stocks also moved sharply higher despite mixed corporate earnings. Coinbase (COIN) rebounded 10% after recovering from earlier losses tied to a quarterly report that revealed a $398 million loss and weaker trading volumes. The exchange also resolved a temporary outage linked to an AWS service disruption.

Investors instead focused on long-term growth catalysts, particularly growing regulatory support for digital assets and stablecoins. SEC Chair Paul Atkins stated that regulators are considering new frameworks for crypto custody, blockchain settlement systems, and on-chain trading infrastructure.

The comments boosted tokenization-focused firms, with Bullish (BLSH), BitGo (BTGO), and Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) all posting notable gains as interest in blockchain-based financial infrastructure continued to expand in 2026.