Bitcoin Achieves Second Consecutive Month of Gains

Written by: Timothy St. John • Friday, May 1, 2026 • 2 min read

• Last updated: Friday, May 1, 2026

Quick overview

Bitcoin (BTC) closed April with a 14.45% gain, marking two consecutive months of growth.
The cryptocurrency market is experiencing a bullish trend, with Bitcoin starting May at $78,175 after a 2.53% increase.
Despite positive market sentiment, volatility remains a concern due to rising tensions in the Middle East and the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rates.
Historically, Bitcoin tends to perform well at the beginning of each month, with a 75% chance of climbing higher.

Bitcoin (BTC) closed off the month of April ahead by 14.45%, marking two months in a row of gains and correcting for the previous two months of losses.

The crypto market is bullish for the start of May.

Bitcoin was up overall for the month of April and started May off with a bang by jumping 2.53% and climbing to $78,175 (BTC/USD). The coin is benefitting from a crypto market upswing brought on by falling oil prices and rising stock prices. However, the fear gauge (VIX) climbed 5.5% recently and indicates a volatile market.

BTC/USD

The cryptocurrency market is broadly bullish Thursday morning, with Ethereum (ETH) up by 2.09% and XRP (XRP) gaining 1.72%. Dogecoin (DOGE), Hyperliquid (HYPE), and Cardano (ADA) are all climbing high as well, but investors should be wary of fragility and volatility in the market while fluctuating oil prices (caused by Middle East unrest) still factor into the crypto market’s movements.

Bitcoin Recovered from Recent Dropoff

The BTC rate has been uneven this week, falling from $79K to $75K, but it rebounded sharply over the past few days to make back most of its losses. Now, the coin is riding high on improved market sentiment and a generally bullish financial environment. It is on good footing for the start of the new month, and the coin tends to do well at this time each month. In fact, 75% of the time, Bitcoin climbs higher as each new month begins.

With the BTC price on the mend and stock markets up for the day so far, Bitcoin could perform well going into the weekend. What is holding the coin back for now is the ongoing Middle East fighting that has tensions high and investors acting risk averse. The coin is also hindered by the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold off on more interest rate cuts. The policy meeting this week left the Fed split on where to go, and this may be Jerome Powell’s last meeting with them. He has held a hawkish stance for much of his tenure, and President Donald Trump has been trying to oust him since taking office for his second term.

If Powell leaves the Fed soon, the remaining chair members could become more dovish and toe the line that Trump wants. That could give Bitcoin a boost as more interest rate cuts happen. For now, we anticipate mildly upward movement for the coin that could see it pass $80K over the weekend.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More

Timothy St. John

Financial Writer - European & US Desks

Timothy St John is a seasoned financial analyst and writer, catering to the dynamic landscapes of the US and European markets. Boasting over a decade of extensive freelance writing experience, he has made significant contributions to reputable platforms such as Yahoo!Finance, business.com: Expert Business Advice, Tips, and Resources - Business.com, and numerous others. Timothy's expertise lies in in-depth research and comprehensive coverage of stock and cryptocurrency movements, coupled with a keen understanding of the economic factors influencing currency dynamics. Timothy majored in English at East Tennessee State University, and you can find him on LinkedIn.