Bitcoin Slips Below $90K as Macro Risks Weigh on Crypto Markets

Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies traded under pressure during Asian afternoon hours on Tuesday, extending losses after a macro-driven pullback earlier in the week. While price moves were relatively muted on the day, derivatives data and broader market signals suggest traders remain cautious as they head toward midyear.

Bitcoin briefly slipped below the $90,000 level in early European trading, remaining largely flat after Monday’s decline. That earlier dip was triggered by renewed global macro uncertainty, including fresh tariff-related headlines that sparked a broader risk-off move across financial markets. Investors shifted capital toward traditional safe-haven assets, leaving cryptocurrencies lagging behind.

Ether traded steadily near $3,200, showing relative resilience compared with the wider altcoin market. However, tokens such as Solana, XRP, and Cardano were mixed on the session and continued to reflect sharp weekly losses. This divergence highlights a familiar pattern in crypto markets, where altcoins tend to underperform bitcoin during periods of heightened uncertainty and declining risk appetite.

Macro concerns remain the dominant theme. Escalating tariff rhetoric between the United States and Europe, linked to comments from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Greenland, has unsettled investors. As a result, gold and silver prices climbed, reinforcing their status as safe-haven assets. Cryptocurrencies, by contrast, failed to benefit from the same defensive flows, even as some equity markets managed to hold relatively steady.

According to Farzam Ehsani, CEO of crypto exchange VALR, the current market behavior points to crypto-specific weakness rather than a uniform global sell-off. He noted that capital rotation into established safe havens underscores bitcoin’s ongoing role as a high-beta risk asset, suggesting it may struggle to sustain elevated price levels without clearer signals of interest rate cuts or renewed institutional demand.

Adding to the pressure, U.S. Treasury yields rose as global bond markets sold off amid fiscal and geopolitical concerns. Higher yields typically weigh on risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, by reducing the appeal of non-yielding investments.

For now, crypto traders appear content to remain defensive, with markets stuck in a low-volatility range as participants wait for a decisive catalyst to set the next major trend.