Dogecoin (DOGE) and ether (ETH) cratered 9% in the past 24 hours as bitcoin (BTC) stumbled 4.5%, dipping below $80,000 and leading a brutal sell-off that wiped out $700 million in long positions.
Leveraged traders betting on a rally got torched with $420 million in BTC longs and $150 million in ETH longs being liquidated, alongside $30 million in DOGE long losses. Solana (SOL) shed 8%, and XRP slipped 7%, with the broader CoinDesk 20 (CD20) falling more than 6.5%.
Open interest in BTC futures dropped 7% to $45 billion, signaling forced exits as margin calls hit.
“Investors are taking a risk-off approach as the chances for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut diminished after a stable jobs report and anticipation that February’s CPI report will follow similarly to January’s reading,” Nick Ruck, director at LVRG Research, told CoinDesk in a Telegram message.
“Traders may sideline and offset risk in their portfolios until the US economic situation becomes clearer and the need for a rate cut becomes stronger, which may not happen until later this year,” Ruck added.
Monday’s losses extended a two-week downward spiral exacerbated by shaky global sentiment, with the S&P 500 down 2% and the Nasdaq off 3% at the start of the week. The sell-off was driven by renewed fears of the impact of U.S. trade tariffs that are set to kick in next month and renewed fears of a recession after a Donald Trump interview on Sunday.
That was the biggest one-day drop in U.S. equities since September 2022, with the so-called ‘Magnificent 7’ cohort losing $830 billion in market capitalization.
Besides, a stronger U.S. dollar, and a hawkish Federal Reserve signal in late February — with plans of fewer rate cuts in 2025 — and a flight to safe-haven assets gold and Japanese yen have further dented hopes of a recovery in the short term.
One contrarian sentiment indicator, however, presents limited hope for bulls looking for short-term relief. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is hovering at 15 — deep in “extreme fear” territory — suggesting that capitulation could set the stage for a relief rally.
Singapore-based QCP Capital said watching Treasury yields and dollar strength present cues for further positioning.
“Despite the market turmoil, not all signals are bearish. This wave of risk-off sentiment has driven 10-year Treasury yields down by around 60 bps and weakened the U.S. dollar — a historically positive factor for USD-denominated risk assets like U.S. equities and crypto,” QCP said in a market broadcast on Tuesday.
“Lower yields also provide a reprieve for the U.S. government, easing borrowing costs at a time when refinancing needs are massive. This comes at a critical moment as Trump’s policy roadmap, particularly proposed tax cuts and a more expansionary fiscal stance, takes shape,” the firm added.