Crypto Markets Stabilize as Tariff Jitters Ease, XRP and Dogecoin Lead Early Week Gains
Cryptocurrency markets opened the week on a steadier footing after a weekend marked by volatility, ETF outflows, and renewed macroeconomic pressures tied to U.S. trade policy.
Bitcoin (BTC) recovered slightly to hover near $114,500 in early Asian trading Monday, while Ether (ETH) held above $3,550, after both tokens saw sharp declines on Friday and Saturday. The selloff followed nearly $1 billion in outflows from bitcoin ETFs and $152 million from ether ETFs—marking the worst spot ETF withdrawal week in months.
Sentiment took a further hit after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs targeting major Asian and European economies. At the same time, the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged—with no clear signal of a near-term cut—put additional pressure on risk assets.
“The dip was driven by concerns over Trump’s tariff stance and the Fed’s signal that it’s not keen to cut rates soon,” said Jeff Mei, COO at BTSE. “But opportunistic buyers are already stepping in before U.S. markets open, indicating the fear may be overdone.”
Meanwhile, retail favorites outperformed the broader market. XRP and Dogecoin (DOGE) gained as much as 5% on the day, while Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and Binance Coin (BNB) each advanced more than 3%.
Market participants point to institutional players cushioning volatility. “The rising presence of professional desks has brought deeper secondary liquidity,” said Augustine Fan, Head of Insights at SignalPlus. “This would’ve been a far messier unwind in the pre-ETF era.”
Still, the lack of sustained ETF inflows continues to dampen bullish sentiment. Bitcoin remains below its critical $118,000 breakout level, while Ether needs to decisively hold above $3,500 to avoid triggering systematic selling.
In macro markets, U.S. equity futures turned positive, up 0.4%, buoyed by expectations of a Federal Reserve pivot following Friday’s weaker-than-expected jobs report. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index erased early losses, Hong Kong tech stocks snapped a seven-day losing streak, and U.S. 10-year Treasury yields edged up to 4.24%.
Oil prices drifted lower following the conclusion of OPEC+ production hikes, and the U.S. dollar softened slightly against major peers.
