The Bitcoin and top altcoins crashed on Friday as trade tensions rose in the United States and profit-taking ensued. The BTC price plunged to $107,000, while XRP fell by 5% to $2.29.
Other top altcoins, such as Shiba Inu, Dogecoin, and Cardano, declined by over 5% in value in the last 24 hours. Dogecoin fell to $0.2247, Cardano to $0.7457, and Shiba Inu to $0.00001427.
Why BTC and Top Altcoins Are Crashing
The main reason for the Bitcoin and altcoins crash was that trade tensions resumed on Friday. In a TruthSocial post, Trump said that the US would levy a 50% tariff on all goods from the European Union, its biggest trade partner.
The two sides, which trade worth over a trillion dollars a year, have been discussing how to end tensions. While the EU has offered a zero-for-zero tariff, the Trump team has accused the region of more trade barriers, corporate penalties, and value-added taxes. The EU has also threatened to retaliate against the US by levying significant tariffs, including on Boeing jets.
Besides Europe, the US has failed to reach agreements with Japan and South Korea despite weeks of negotiations. It has only reached deals with the UK and China.
Bitcoin and altcoins also crashed due to profit-taking after Bitcoin price surged to a record high. It is common for Bitcoin and other assets to pull back after a strong rally as some investors take profits voluntarily, or when take-profits are triggered.
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What Next for Bitcoin and Altcoins?
On the positive side, the escalation between the US and EU could be the calm before the storm, as we saw with China. It is part of Trump’s “art of the deal.” This is where he escalates situations and then de-escalates after negotiations.
He boosted tariffs to 145% with China, which he and other officials said was an embargo. China then retaliated with a 125% tariff. Yet, despite all the talk, China was the second country with which it reached a deal.
The other positive aspect is that Bitcoin has become a safe haven in times of heightened risk. BTC did better than stocks after his Liberation Day speech in April due to increasing Bitcoin demand, reflected in rising ETF inflows and decreasing exchange supply.
Therefore, Bitcoin and other altcoins like Shiba Inu, Cardano, XRP, and Dogecoin will likely resume their uptrend in the coming days.
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