Digital assets dive amid Trump tariff shock

April 07, 2025 (MLN): Cryptocurrencies plunged at the start of the week in Asia, with Bitcoin and Ether leading a broad-based selloff as escalating global tensions and fresh tariff threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through financial markets.

Bitcoin shed about 7% of its value from Sunday night through to Monday morning in Singapore to reach a low point of $77,077.

Second-ranked token Ether plummeted to $1,538, an intra-day low not seen since Oct. 2023. Both Bitcoin and Ether later pared losses.

The slide comes as US president Donald Trump dug in on sweeping tariffs that have already wiped trillions in value from US equities. US equity-index futures slumped and the yen surged in a sign of deepening turmoil throughout financial markets, as Bloomberg reported. 

“For a moment, it seemed as though crypto might hold steady, but with the 24/7 nature of crypto markets, investors woke up on Sunday in full ‘sell mode,’” said Charlie Sherry, head of finance and crypto analyst at BTC Markets in a research note.

Coinglass data show about $758 million worth of bullish crypto wagers were liquidated in the past 24 hours, the most in nearly six weeks.

Options markets suggest the selling pressure may continue “with the skew for puts picking up considerably,” said Sean McNulty, head of APAC derivatives at digital-asset prime brokerage FalconX. Key support levels for Bitcoin and Ether are $75,000 and $1,500, respectively, he added.

Digital assets had shown some resistance to the panic that roiled markets after Trump first unveiled his tariff program, hinting at a possible breakaway from the gravitational pull of technology stocks. Monday’s selloff suggests the high positive correlation between crypto and the Nasdaq 100 that has prevailed since the Covid-19 pandemic may persist.

“Crypto is typically a leading indicator for risk assets,” said Julia Zhou, COO at crypto market maker Caladan. “Expect sharper corrections once US equities open today.”

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