Markets opened the week in risk-on mode on Monday, with Bitcoin climbing above $85,000 for the first time since January, artificial intelligence stocks surging, and falling oil prices lifting sentiment across Wall Street. Among the day's biggest developments: AMD crossed the $1 trillion market value threshold, and Michael Saylor's Strategy returned to Bitcoin accumulation after a three-week pause.

Bitcoin Tops $85,000 as Shorts Are Squeezed

Bitcoin rose more than 5% over 24 hours, breaking above $85,000 for the first time since January and briefly pushing toward $86,000. The move extended a powerful rebound from last week's lows, with improving risk sentiment and a major short squeeze helping accelerate the advance. Short squeezes work by forcing leveraged traders who bet on falling prices to buy back the asset to exit their positions, converting defensive unwinds into additional buying pressure.

Liquidation data underscored the force of the rally. More than $750 million in leveraged crypto positions were wiped out over 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data cited by The Block, with roughly $648 million of that total coming from traders who had bet on falling prices. The surge also carried Bitcoin back above the average cost basis of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF investors for the first time since January — a closely watched level, since it marks the average entry price of the investor cohort that formed after U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs began trading in early 2024.

AMD Crosses $1 Trillion in Market Value

AMD became the latest semiconductor giant to reach a $1 trillion market valuation, with shares jumping around 10% to a record high on Monday. Nvidia was the first chipmaker to cross the trillion-dollar threshold, back in 2023, and AMD's arrival highlights how much of the market's recent value creation has clustered around AI-related technology. The milestone reflects the strong return of enthusiasm for artificial intelligence stocks following recent volatility.

AMD shares have now climbed roughly 185% in 2026, significantly outperforming the broader Nasdaq. Investors have increasingly focused on the company's expansion beyond individual processors into complete AI computing systems as it attempts to capture a larger share of the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.

Sliding Oil Prices Add a Tailwind

A sharp decline in oil prices provided an additional boost for equities. U.S. crude fell around 4.8%, while Brent dropped approximately 3.6%, amid signs of increased Gulf exports and expectations that some disrupted Saudi supply could return to the market. Because energy costs flow through transportation, manufacturing and consumer prices, slides in crude tend to read as broad relief for companies and households alike.

Lower energy prices also eased pressure on bond markets, allowing Treasury yields to retreat. The combination of falling oil, lower yields and renewed AI optimism pushed the Nasdaq sharply higher during Monday's session.

Meta Rallies as AI Optimism Returns

Meta Platforms was another standout, with shares climbing approximately 6.7% as investors rotated back into major AI-related names. The stock also drew support from a bullish analyst outlook ahead of Meta's upcoming product announcements. The advance helped communication-services stocks outperform and demonstrated how quickly investor appetite for large technology companies has returned following the recent market pullback.

Accenture and Anthropic Deepen AI Partnership

Accenture shares also gained after the consulting giant announced a major partnership with Anthropic focused on evaluating the safety and reliability of advanced AI models. The companies plan to invest around $2 billion through the initiative, which comes as businesses and regulators increasingly focus on ensuring that ever more powerful AI systems can be deployed safely and reliably. For enterprises weighing large-scale AI rollouts, safety and evaluation frameworks are shifting from an afterthought to a practical prerequisite.

Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Purchases

Michael Saylor's Strategy has resumed its Bitcoin accumulation after a pause of roughly three weeks, purchasing an additional 950 BTC for $75.7 million. The acquisition was made at an average price of approximately $79,670 per coin, bringing Strategy's total holdings to around 846,000 BTC — a stash that makes it by far the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. Strategy shares surged alongside Bitcoin on Monday as crypto-linked equities benefited from the broader rally.

Circle Launches Bitcoin-Backed USDC Borrowing

Circle has launched a new service allowing eligible institutional customers to borrow USDC against their Bitcoin without selling their BTC. Through Circle Mint, institutions can deposit Bitcoin, mint Circle's wrapped Bitcoin token cirBTC, supply it as collateral and borrow USDC through supported onchain lending markets. Morpho is the first supported lending protocol, with Circle saying additional platforms, including Aave, are expected to follow. Morpho and Aave are among decentralized finance's best-known lending platforms, giving institutions access to credit markets that operate on public blockchains.

The launch marks another step toward integrating Bitcoin into institutional lending and treasury operations, allowing long-term holders access dollar liquidity while maintaining their underlying BTC exposure.

With Bitcoin above $85,000, AI stocks roaring higher and oil prices falling, Monday delivered one of the strongest broad risk-on sessions in recent weeks. Whether the momentum lasts may come down to factors already in motion: Bitcoin's ability to hold the reclaimed level above ETF investors' average cost basis, the expected return of disrupted Saudi supply to the oil market, and what Meta unveils at its upcoming product announcements.