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MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock opened higher on Aug. 3 as investors digested the news of its CEO Michael Saylor's exit after a depressive quarterly earnings report.

Microstrategy stock up 142% since May lows 

On the daily chart, MSTR's price surged by nearly 14.5% to $324.55 per share, the highest level since May 6.

The stock's intraday gains came as a part of a broader recovery that started on May 12 at $134. Since then, MSTR has grown by 142% versus Nasdaq's 26.81% gains in the same period.

Bad Q2, Saylor's resignation

The Aug. 3 MSTR rally came a day after MicroStrategy reported a billion dollar loss in its second quarter (Q2) earnings call. Interestingly, the company's major Bitcoin exposure was a large reason for its poor quarterly performance.

To recap: MicroStrategy is an information technology firm that provides business intelligence, mobile software and cloud-based services. But one of its primary corporate strategies is to invest in Bitcoin to hold it long-term.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose to daily resistance at the Aug. 3 Wall Street open as United States equities gained on relief over Taiwan.

Stocks gain as US dollar coils

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD returning to the area just below $23,500, which had figured as resistance since the start of the month.

The pair had previously held the same zone as support, and was now deciding on whether a new resistance/ support flip was on the cards.

For popular trader Crypto Tony, $23,500 was thus the price to watch to long BTC.

To the downside, fellow trader Pentoshi highlighted the area between $21,800 and $22,000 as the "line in the sand" for BTC.

Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins are tracking the United States equities markets higher on Aug. 3 as traders buy the dip.

Smaller investors seem to be making the most of the bear market in Bitcoin as the number of wholecoiners has soared by 40,000 since the sharp fall in June. In comparison, wallet addresses with more than 1,000 Bitcoin have declined by 113 since May.

Some analysts believe that Bitcoin has not yet formed a macro bottom, however. Trading firm QCP Capital expects Bitcoin to gradually rise for most of the third quarter amid high volatility.

They believe Bitcoin’s rally could hit a roof around $28,700. For the long-term, the firm did not rule out a final capitulation in Bitcoin to around $10,000, which may mark a bottom for the bear market.

Nevertheless, Bitcoin miners seem to be in an upbeat mode as they increased their Bitcoin holdings in July following the capitulation in June. According to data from on-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant, Bitcoin held by the miners hit the highest levels since.

Fifty-one days have passed since Bitcoin (BTC) last closed above $24,000, causing even the most bullish trader to question whether a sustainable recovery is feasible. However, despite the lackluster price action, bulls have the upper hand on Friday's $510 million BTC options expiry.

Investors have been reducing their risk exposure as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates and unwinds its record $8.9 trillion balance sheet. As a result, the Bloomberg Commodity Index (BCOM), which measures price changes in crude oil, natural gas, gold, corn and lean hogs, has traded down 9% in the same period.

Traders continue to seek protection via U.S. Treasuries and cash positions as San Francisco Fed president Mary Daly said on Aug. 2 that the central bank's fight against inflation is "far from done." With that being said, the tighter monetary impact on inflation, employment levels and the global economy are yet to be seen.

Bearish bets are mostly below $22,000

Bitcoin's recovery above $22,000 on July 27 took bears by surprise because only 28% of the put (sell) options for Aug. 5 have been placed above such a price level. Meanwhile, Bitcoin bulls may have been fooled by the $24,500 pump on July 30, as 59% of their bets lay above $25,000.

A broader view using the 1.60 call-to-put ratio shows more bullish bets because the call (buy) open interest stands at $315 million against the $195 million put (sell) options. Nevertheless, as Bitcoin currently sits above $23,000, most bearish bets will likely become worthless.