Bitcoin and Asian stocks fell on Friday after new US airstrikes on Iran raised geopolitical uncertainty. In addition, President Donald Trump’s claims that China had tampered with the 2020 election hurt risk sentiment and sent the Australian dollar lower.
BTC, the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, fell to $63,600, extending Thursday’s nearly 1.4% slide from $65,000, according to CoinDesk data. As of this writing, the cryptocurrency was trading just below its 50-day simple moving average, the widely tracked gauge of near-term momentum.
Asian stock markets wilted, with Japan’s Nikkei trading nearly 3% lower at its lowest level in over a month. Australia’s ASX 200 fell 0.5%, along with a 0.8% drop in Nasdaq-linked futures. Wall Street’s technology-heavy index fell more than 1.6% on Thursday.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency quoted the Hormozgan Province Governorate as saying that US airstrikes have hit five bridges in southern Hormozgan Province. A missile attack also hit Iran’s maritime control tower in Chabahar. Surprisingly, WTI oil futures held steady at around $79 a barrel, ignoring geopolitical stress from the new wave of US attacks on Iran.
