Bitcoin hovers around $70,000 amid Middle East tensions [Crypto Briefing]

According to The Financial News, Bitcoin slipped toward the $70,000 level on the 20th amid uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East.
Global crypto data platform CoinMarketCap showed Bitcoin trading around $70,000 as of 10:10 a.m. that day, down 0.89% over the previous 24 hours. Over the past week, Bitcoin has fallen 1.78%.
In the Korean won market, Bitcoin is trading around 104 million won. Based on data from global crypto market comparison platform Cryprice, the Korea premium stands at -0.17%.
Volatility in the crypto market has increased in connection with the Middle East crisis. Bitcoin briefly dropped to around $68,000 in early trading following a series of attacks on energy facilities in the region, but recovered to the $70,000 level after U.S. President Donald Trump called for restraint to avoid further escalation and signaled calm over oil prices.
The New York stock market also closed slightly lower. On the 19th (local time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 203.72 points, or 0.44%, to finish at 46,021.43. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) slipped 18.21 points (0.27%) to 6,606.49, while the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ) declined 61.73 points (0.28%) to 22,090.69.
The CoinMarketCap Crypto Fear and Greed Index stood at 31 that day, indicating a state of "fear." The index ranges from 0 to 100: readings closer to 0 signal "extreme fear," while those near 100 point to "extreme greed."
At the same time, Ethereum was trading around $2,151, down 1.86% from the previous day. Ripple (XRP) was changing hands at about $1.45, a decline of 0.45%.
yimsh0214@fnnews.com Im Sang-hyuk Reporter