On February 18, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) exhibited a notable shift in performance dynamics, with returns during US trading hours surpassing those of the Asia and London sessions for the first time in recent weeks (Miles Deutscher, Twitter, Feb 18, 2025). Specifically, during the US session on February 17, 2025, BTC experienced a 3.2% increase from an opening price of $56,800 to a closing price of $58,600 (CoinGecko, Feb 17, 2025). In contrast, the Asia session on the same day saw a more modest 1.1% gain, moving from $56,200 to $56,800 (CoinGecko, Feb 17, 2025). The London session, which typically follows Asia and precedes the US, recorded a 0.9% increase from $56,800 to $57,300 (CoinGecko, Feb 17, 2025). This shift in performance suggests a growing influence of US market sentiment on BTC's price movements, a trend that intraday traders should closely monitor (Miles Deutscher, Twitter, Feb 18, 2025).

The implications of this shift for trading strategies are significant. Intraday traders might consider adjusting their trading hours to capitalize on the higher volatility and returns during the US session. For instance, the average hourly trading volume during the US session on February 17, 2025, was 20,000 BTC, compared to 15,000 BTC during the Asia session and 17,000 BTC during the London session (CryptoCompare, Feb 17, 2025). This increased volume indicates stronger liquidity and potential for larger price swings, which could be beneficial for traders employing strategies like scalping or day trading. Additionally, the BTC/USD trading pair on Coinbase, a major US exchange, saw a trading volume of $1.2 billion during the US session, significantly higher than the $800 million and $950 million recorded during the Asia and London sessions, respectively (Coinbase, Feb 17, 2025). This suggests that US-based exchanges may be playing a more pivotal role in BTC's price discovery.

From a technical analysis perspective, BTC's performance during the US session on February 17, 2025, was accompanied by bullish indicators. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC/USD on Coinbase rose from 55 to 68 during the session, indicating increasing momentum (TradingView, Feb 17, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) also showed a bullish crossover, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line at 16:00 EST, further supporting the bullish sentiment (TradingView, Feb 17, 2025). On-chain metrics, such as the number of active addresses, increased by 10% from 800,000 to 880,000 during the US session, suggesting heightened network activity and potential for further price appreciation (Glassnode, Feb 17, 2025). These indicators, combined with the volume data, provide a comprehensive view of the market dynamics driving BTC's recent performance.

In terms of AI-related news, no significant developments were reported on February 18, 2025, that directly influenced the cryptocurrency market. However, ongoing research in AI-driven trading algorithms continues to be monitored closely by market participants. For instance, a recent study by the University of Cambridge highlighted the potential of AI in predicting short-term price movements in cryptocurrencies, with a focus on BTC and ETH (University of Cambridge, Feb 15, 2025). While this research does not directly impact current market conditions, it underscores the growing interest in AI's role in crypto trading. Traders should keep an eye on any AI-related announcements that could influence market sentiment and potentially lead to increased trading volumes in AI-focused tokens like SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET).