Crypto tumbles on tariff developments

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Chart of the week

Since Trump began imposing tariffs—starting with Colombia last week—global markets have been in turmoil. The latest round of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, with threats extending to the EU, has triggered sharp declines across risk assets. Canada and Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs have added to the uncertainty, setting the stage for further volatility.

This reaction mirrors last year’s turmoil following the BOJ’s rate hike, reinforcing how macroeconomic shocks ripple through liquid markets like crypto. As capital swiftly reallocates, bitcoin’s dominance surged past 61.5%. With more geopolitical and economic shifts potentially ahead, we are monitoring bitcoin’s sensitivity to global financial conditions, which will remain a key factor for its price action.

Market Highlights

Trump imposes tariffs on imported goods

Trump imposed tariffs on all imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China, setting the stage for a trade war with US trading partners.

This brings volatility and uncertainty to risk assets, creating short-term headwinds that impacted crypto assets more heavily since it was the only market open during the weekend.

SEC eases crypto custody rules

SEC replaced SAB 121 (crypto custody as balance sheet liabilities) with SAB 122, letting firms assess liabilities under the current accounting standards in the US and worldwide.

This has made it more feasible for US banks to custody crypto and could encourage greater institutional participation, enhancing market liquidity.

In-kind bitcoin redemptions proposal

Nasdaq proposed in-kind BTC redemptions for bitcoin ETFs, with the potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs for issuers and investors.

The approval could make BTC ETFs more attractive to institutions and market makers by streamlining operations and capital efficiency, fostering a stronger ETF market for BTC.

Market Metrics

Trump’s tariff announcements on Friday created a strong headwind for digital assets at the end of last week, as crypto was the only liquid market open during the weekend. The NCITM responded with a 9.1% decline, losing its lead as the best performing asset YTD, but still up 3.0% in 2025. Despite recent headwinds, advancements in US crypto regulation and the steady pace of institutional adoption remain strong tailwinds for crypto as 2025 progresses.