Strategy said it purchased 17,994 BTC for about $1.28 billion, paying an average of $70,946 per coin. The latest buy lifts the company’s total Bitcoin holdings to 738,731 BTC, acquired for roughly $56.04 billion at an average cost of $75,862 per coin. By the figures disclosed in the report, the company remains the largest corporate holder of the asset and is still adding to its long-term crypto treasury position.
Bitcoin moved back above $70,000 after the announcement
Shortly after the purchase was made public, Bitcoin extended its rally and traded above the $70,000 mark, with the latest quoted price near $70,165. The report tied that reaction to the effect of large institutional accumulation on market sentiment. Price followed the headline quickly.
The purchase also drew criticism. Economist Peter Schiff said the company was already down about 4% on the latest buy. He added that Strategy’s unrealized losses had climbed to more than $5.5 billion and argued that gold would have been the safer asset. Michael Saylor kept defending Bitcoin as a long-term strategic holding, with no sign of slowing the company’s accumulation.
Share-sale amendment points to more Bitcoin purchases
Strategy may still be preparing to buy more. The company recently filed an amendment that would allow it to sell additional shares during premarket and after-hours trading. The stated aim is to raise capital that can be used for more Bitcoin purchases. Company data cited in the report shows holdings rose from 687,410 BTC in January to 738,731 BTC by early March 2026, a steady increase built during periods of market weakness.
At current prices mentioned in the article, those holdings are worth about $51.1 billion. That leaves the company with very large balance-sheet exposure to Bitcoin, making its valuation closely tied to moves in the underlying asset.
MSTR stock held up better than Bitcoin this year
The treasury strategy is also shaping how investors price MSTR shares. The stock traded around $138.95 and gained about 4% in the latest session. The report said Bitcoin was down roughly 22.07% year to date in 2026, while MSTR had fallen only about 9.5%.
Historically, MSTR has amplified Bitcoin’s price swings by roughly 1.5x to 1.8x, on the way up and on the way down. Recent performance has looked different. From February 5 to March 6, MSTR climbed about 44%, while Bitcoin rose around 15% over the same stretch. That gap suggests some investors are treating the stock as a leveraged route to Bitcoin exposure over a longer horizon.
Open interest jumped as traders watch March 12 CPI data
Derivatives activity added force to the rally. According to CoinMarketCap data cited in the source, Bitcoin had gained 4.45% to $70,165, beating the broader crypto market. Open interest increased 13.57% to $409.62 billion, while more than $78 million in positions were liquidated, most of them shorts.
That short squeeze helped push Bitcoin through the $70,000 psychological level. On the technical side, the $68,000 to $68,300 zone remains the key support area mentioned in the report. If price stays above that band, current momentum would remain intact. The next scheduled macro event in focus is U.S. CPI inflation data due on March 12, which could affect expectations for Federal Reserve rate policy.