Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) opened at $64,487.65 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 2.7% higher than Monday's opening price. As of 9:19 a.m. ET this morning, the price of bitcoin moved down to $64,080.23
Ethereum (ETH-USD) opened at $1,911.89 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, up 2% from Monday's opening price. The price of ethereum moved lower this morning to $1,895.37 as of 9:19 a.m. ET.
Bitcoin and ethereum prices fell Tuesday morning as the Middle East conflict continues without an apparent end date. Both cryptocurrencies are down since the war began in late February. Bitcoin has dipped 4.4% and ethereum has fallen 5.7%. For context, the gold futures (GC=F) price has declined far more, 14.7% in the same period.
However, bitcoin and ethereum are in the midst of an extended bear market. Analysts are split on whether the bottom is near or the digital currencies will continue to slide. The Kalshi prediction market has odds on Bitcoin ending the year between $65,000 and $69,999.99. Bitcoin ETFs did show net inflows on Monday after three consecutive days of net outflows, according to Coinglass data.
The price of bitcoin this morning was 2.7% higher than Monday's opening price. Here's a look at how the opening bitcoin price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
The all-time high for bitcoin was $128,198.07 on Oct. 6, 2025. The all-time low value for bitcoin was $0.04865 on July 14, 2010.
The price of ethereum this morning was 2% higher than Monday's open. Here's a look at how the opening ethereum price has changed versus last week, month, and year:
The all-time high for ethereum was $4,953.73 on Aug. 24, 2025. The all-time low value for ethereum was $0.4209 on Oct. 21, 2015.
Bitcoin, ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies are rapidly evolving. Follow the latest developments from Yahoo Finance and others here.
Ethereum is the blockchain, while ether is the cryptocurrency that runs on it. When people say they're "buying ethereum," they're usually buying ETH — the digital asset used to run applications and store value.
Some investors trade short-term, others accumulate their holdings slowly, and still others focus on earning a yield by locking up their ETH to help run the network — a process known as staking.
Ether, the native cryptocurrency used on the Ethereum platform, remains significantly more volatile than the S&P 500 for many investors. But it's no longer a moonshot — it's a foundational piece of a modern digital portfolio.
Here's how to start investing in ethereum.
Step 1: Choose your Ethereum investment strategy