MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) stock surged 16% on September 18, closing at $153 as gains in the cryptocurrency market lifted crypto-exposed equities. The rally propelled MSTR to the 16th position among most-traded US stocks by dollar volume, with $8.36 billion in trading volume that day.
Bitcoin rose to $81,000 before consolidating at $80,000, while Ethereum reached its highest price in eight months above $2,600. Other crypto stocks also rallied, with Coinbase gaining 11% and Circle rising 7% on the same day.
MSTR surpassed major US-listed companies including Netflix and Visa in trading volume. More than 54 million shares traded during the session, with most volume coming from buy-side orders—the highest buy-side volumes since February 2026. According to MSTR's posted data, the stock's 30-day average trading volumes represent 5.4% of its market cap, exceeding Tesla's 0.9%, Meta's 0.6%, and Nvidia's 0.5%.
The stock gains coincided with a rise in MicroStrategy's unrealized profits on its Bitcoin holdings. The company's 845,050 BTC generated unrealized profits of $4.73 billion as prices climbed. MSTR paused fresh Bitcoin purchases for two weeks to focus on repurchasing its STRC preferred stock, completing $950 million in buybacks since July.
Technical indicators showed bullish momentum heading into the following trading session. MSTR closed near its 200-day moving average support at $152, with the MACD line crossing above its signal line and histogram bars turning green, suggesting continued buying pressure. However, the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market means that if Bitcoin retraces as profit-taking occurs, MSTR could pull back to test support at the 20-day moving average of $129.
