Risk-off wave hits crypto after Trump's tariff move; Bitcoin dips near $64k

The crypto market sell-off intensified on Monday after US President Donald Trump’s proposed 15 per cent global tariffs jolted global financial markets, sparking a broad risk-off move. Investors rotated out of volatile assets and into traditional safe havens such as gold, which climbed over 2 per cent, exacerbating the downturn across digital tokens.

 

The flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, fell more than 5 per cent to near $64,000, wiping out weekend gains, while Ethereum slipped below $1,870. Altcoins bore the brunt of the selling, with Solana, XRP, and Avalanche declining 6–9 per cent, highlighting widespread risk aversion across the crypto spectrum.

 

Trump tariffs trigger crypto sell-off

 

The sell-off in crypto markets, analysts said, was driven by global risk-off sentiment following Trump’s tariff announcement. However, despite weak sentiment and ETF outflows, whale accumulation and extreme fear levels suggest a possible medium-term recovery phase.

 

“The US Supreme Court’s decision overturning earlier reciprocal tariffs, followed by the administration’s pivot to Section 122 duties, has injected fresh policy uncertainty,” said Riya Sehgal, research analyst at Delta Exchange.

 

Echoing similar views, Akshat Siddhant, lead quant analyst at Mudrex, said continued ETF outflows added to the selling pressure. However, on-chain data indicates a V-shaped accumulation pattern, with whales absorbing part of the sell-off. According to Glassnode, whales increased their total holdings by roughly 230,000 BTC over three months, valued at $15.59 billion.

 

Meanwhile, on-chain data showed that more than 136,000 traders were liquidated, amounting to $458 million, with 92 per cent of the positions being longs.

 

Alongside ETF outflows and tightening liquidity, sentiment has collapsed. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index now stands at 5–6, one of its lowest readings since 2018. According to Sehgal, while the near-term bias remains bearish, prolonged periods of extreme fear often precede medium-term accumulation phases.

 

At last check, BTC was trading at $64,737, down 4.57 per cent, with a 24-hour trading volume of $28.8 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. During the same period, the cryptocurrency moved between $64,350 and $68,235. The token remains over 48 per cent below its all-time high of $126,198, touched on October 7, 2025. Its market capitalisation stood at $1.29 trillion, retaining its position as the largest cryptocurrency by value.

 

From a technical perspective, Sehgal said Bitcoin faces stiff resistance at $67,000. A break below $64,000 could open the downside toward $62,000 and $60,000.

 

Siddhant, on the other hand, believes BTC could test the $60,000 level before staging a rebound. Immediate resistance, he said, is placed at $68,500.

Ethereum slips below $1900

 

Ethereum (ETH) mirrored Bitcoin’s weakness, slipping below the $1,900 mark to touch $1,848. At last check, ETH was trading 5.6 per cent lower at $1,860 on CoinMarketCap. The token moved between $1,848 and $1,982 over the past 24 hours, with a trading volume of $4 billion.

 

For Ethereum, the immediate resistance level, according to analysts, lies at $1,950. 

Altcoins trade lower

Altcoins were under pressure on Monday, extending the broader crypto sell-off. LayerZero (ZRO), Pump.fun (PUMP), Hyperliquid (HYPE), Solana (SOL), Zcash (ZEC), Ethena (ENA), Lighter (LIT), Uniswap (UNI), Nexo (NEXO), Polkadot (DOT), Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), Jupiter (JUP), Avalanche (AVAX), Chainlink (LINK), Story (IP), Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Mantle (MNT), Aave (AAVE), Sui (SUI), Filecoin (FIL), Morpho (MORPHO), Injective (INJ), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Aptos (APT), Arbitrum (ARB), PancakeSwap (CAKE), Pi Network (PI), Stacks (STX), Kaia (KAIA), and Litecoin (LTC) were among the top laggards, trading lower by up to 15 per cent on CoinMarketCap. 

 

On the other hand, Pippin (PIPPIN) and Kite (KITE) attracted buying interest, surging 30.41 per cent and 15.47 per cent, respectively.