Bitcoin price searches for direction ahead of this week’s $710M BTC options expiry By Cointelegraph

(BTC) bulls laid most of their options at $24,500 and higher for the March 3 options expiry, and given the recent bullishness seen from BTC, who can blame them? On Feb. 21, Bitcoin’s price briefly traded above $25,200, reflecting an 18% gain in eight days. Unfortunately, regulatory pressure on the crypto sector increased, and despite no effective measures being announced, investors are still wary and reactive to remarks from policymakers.

For instance, on Feb. 23, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler claimed that “everything other than Bitcoin” falls under the agency’s jurisdiction. Gensler noted that most crypto projects “are securities because there’s a group in the middle and the public is anticipating profits based on that group.”