Bitcoin drops below critical support as tariff discussions unsettle investors

Bitcoin (BTC $90,516.70) and the broader cryptocurrency market slid on Monday after reports that the European Union is preparing €93 billion ($110 billion) in retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Greenland-related comments.

The tariff concerns pressured European equities and U.S. futures, while safe-haven assets such as gold and silver surged to record highs. Bitcoin, however, failed to follow the rally in precious metals, trading near $93,000 after a 2.5% decline since Sunday at 23:00 UTC.

Altcoins posted mixed results. The CoinDesk 80 Index (CD80) fell 4.64% over 24 hours but was down only 0.93% since midnight, outperforming the bitcoin-heavy CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20), which dropped 2.5%.

Bitcoin has fallen back below the $94,500 support level after a brief breakout last Wednesday, increasing the risk of returning to the $85,000–$94,500 trading range that has persisted since mid-November.

Derivatives and Market Flows

The market pullback forced nearly $800 million in leveraged long positions to liquidate over 24 hours, reducing bullish leverage. Total crypto futures open interest (OI) fell more than 2% to $138.14 billion. Bitcoin OI rose slightly by 0.65%, while ether remained flat. Other major tokens, including SOL, XRP, ADA, DOGE, SUI, and LTC, saw OI declines of 8%-13%, reflecting broad risk aversion.

Despite the selloff, 30-day implied volatility for BTC and ETH remained steady, suggesting traders do not expect major near-term swings. The options volatility skew remains negative for both BTC and ETH, signaling persistent downside caution.

Altcoin Highlights

Lighter’s LIT token dropped 10% since Sunday, while HyperLiquid reclaimed the top spot for derivatives trading volume as interest in Lighter waned after its December airdrop.

Monero (XMR $534.75) diverged from the broader market, rising over 13%, while DeFi tokens such as ETHFI, ENA, and JUP posted double-digit losses. Layer-1 networks APT and SUI fell around 10%, and mid-cap tokens underperformed the major cryptocurrencies, reflecting ongoing liquidity pressures. Solana (SOL $127.70) and Cardano (ADA $0.3582) each lost roughly 6%.

The tariff-driven selloff triggered $815 million in liquidations, with $231 million in bitcoin and the remainder impacting altcoins, according to CoinGlass.

  • Related Posts

    Bitcoin, crypto and stocks push higher after Donald Trump signals the Iran war may soon conclude.

    Global markets experienced dramatic swings over the past 24 hours as oil prices surged and then sharply reversed, while cryptocurrencies and equities rallied after Donald Trump suggested the conflict with…

    Continue reading
    How market participants and large buyers stepped up to stabilize Bitcoin during the oil volatility.

    Bitcoin has remained resilient this month even as geopolitical tensions and a surge in oil prices unsettled global markets. Energy prices have been particularly volatile. Benchmark crude contracts — Brent…

    Continue reading