As U.S. equity markets tumble in response to newly announced tariffs, the cryptocurrency sector is showing notable resilience, with bitcoin (BTC) gaining traction as a potential hedge.
President Donald Trump’s unveiling of reciprocal tariffs has sparked a staggering $5.4 trillion wipeout in the U.S. equities market over just two days. The S&P 500 plunged to an 11-month low, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 slipped into bear market territory.
Despite the turbulence, crypto markets are holding up better than traditional assets. Since the tariff announcement, bitcoin has declined about 6%, outperforming the Nasdaq’s 11% loss. The broader crypto market, tracked by the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index, fell roughly 4.9% over the same period.
To offer context, the total crypto market capitalization stands at approximately $2.65 trillion, according to TheTie. Over the past 24 hours, bitcoin dipped 0.3% to $82,619.77, while the CD20 index inched up by 0.2%. Although most crypto-linked equities closed lower on Friday, a few bucked the trend.
Bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings (MARA) gained 0.6%, and Core Scientific (CORZ) rose 0.4%. MicroStrategy (MSTR), which holds a substantial 528,185 BTC, surged 4%, significantly outperforming the Nasdaq’s 5.8% drop that day.
Analysts expect crypto’s strength to persist. Geoffrey Kendrick of Standard Chartered noted that bitcoin’s accessibility through instruments like ETFs makes it increasingly viable as a hedge within traditional finance.
“In the last 36 hours, I’d argue bitcoin has also become a ‘U.S. isolation hedge,’” Kendrick wrote in an April 4 email, attaching a chart showing bitcoin’s performance surpassing most of the Magnificent 7 stocks—only Microsoft managed to outperform BTC during the recent slide.
Adding a layer of symbolism to the market’s movement, the crypto community also marked what is believed to be the birthday of bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. The date, linked to Nakamoto’s P2P Foundation profile, coincides with April 5—the anniversary of Executive Order 6102, issued in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which mandated Americans to surrender their gold to the Federal Reserve.
While some speculate the date is purely symbolic, it serves as a timely reminder of bitcoin’s roots in financial sovereignty—especially as traditional markets falter.
