Pakinomist– Bitcoin fell on Monday, tracking a broader decline in equity markets, as tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump rattled risk appetite, while tech stocks were jittered by a disruptive new artificial intelligence offering from China.
Bitcoin remained under pressure from lingering uncertainty about what Trump’s policies will mean for crypto after the president announced new, albeit vague, plans to draft a regulatory framework for the industry.
Risk appetite was also weighed down by anticipation of a Federal Reserve meeting this week, where the central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates and strike a hawkish accord.
Broader risk-driven markets sank in Asian trade, with technology stocks under pressure from DeepSeek, which recently released an AI program that claimed to match rivals such as ChatGPT in performance at a fraction of the cost. Losses in stocks appeared to have spilled over into crypto.
fell 4.4% to $100,557.5 at 12:10 a.m. ET (05:10 GMT).
A memecoin launched by the president earlier in January also slipped further on Monday, having wiped around 60% of its value since a post-launch peak.
Trump uncertainty dents crypto
Risk appetite was dampened by Trump threatening to impose a 25% trade tariff on Colombia for refusing to comply with his stance on deporting migrants. But Colombia’s government accepted Trump’s terms shortly after his tariff threat, with the White House saying the proposed tariffs were now on hold.
Still, Trump’s move stoked fears that he will make good on his threats to impose tariffs on other major economies, including Mexico, Canada and China.
But a bigger bone of contention over Trump, especially for crypto markets, was Trump’s failure to mention Bitcoin in an executive order calling for better crypto regulations and a national reserve for digital assets.
This raised doubts about whether Trump will actually be able to deliver on promises of a Bitcoin reserve. Establishing the reserve through an executive order is likely to limit its scope, while any demand for congressional approval of the reserve is expected to face opposition from fiscally conscious lawmakers.
Crypto price today: altcoins track Bitcoin losses, $TRUMP rout worsens
Broader crypto prices pulled back on Monday, falling in line with Bitcoin as risk appetite remained muted.
was the worst performer among major altcoins, falling nearly 14% to $26,675. The token has now wiped off around 60% of its value since a post-launch peak of over $60, and has steadily declined over the past week amid choppy trading.
Volatility in $TRUMP also spilled over into broader crypto markets, dampening sentiment towards the sector. The token — which gave Trump billions in paper gains — raised questions about Trump’s ethics in using his influence to manipulate crypto markets.
World no. 2 crypto fell 5.8% to $3,148.51, while it fell 6.2% to $2.9369.
and fell between 5% and 11%, while among meme tokens lost 9.4%.
