Leading cryptocurrencies slacked on Wednesday as President Donald Trump imposed 25% levies on cars not manufactured in the U.S.
| Cryptocurrency | Gains +/- | Price (Recorded at 8:45 p.m. ET) |
| Bitcoin BTC/USD | -0.64% | $87,177.14 |
| Ethereum ETH/USD | -2.94% | $2,014.81 |
| Dogecoin DOGE/USD | +1.08% | $0.1961 |
What Happened: Bitcoin rose to $88,292.16 early morning but failed to sustain the rally, plunging below $86,000 late afternoon.
Ethereum recorded a steeper decline, nearly 3%, in the last 24 hours. The second-largest cryptocurrency fell below $2,000 in the late afternoon but recouped some losses by evening.
Bitcoin's market dominance increased to 60.5% while Ethereum's share shrank by 1.91% over the last 24 hours. Dogecoin, meanwhile, recorded a healthy gain of 5%.
Cryptocurrency liquidations reached $268.44 million in the last 24 hours, with $186 million in bullish bets getting wiped out. A further $500 million in longs risked liquidation if Bitcoin dropped to $84,285.
Bitcoin's Open Interest fell 2.60% in the last 24 hours. Interestingly, despite the price dip, Ethereum's Open Interest rose 2.95%, suggesting the potential opening of new short positions.
More than 50% of derivatives traders on Binance were positioned long on Bitcoin, according to the Long/Short Ratio.
The market flipped back into "Fear" mode, according to the Crypto Fear and Greed Index.
Top Gainers (24-Hours)
| Cryptocurrency | Gains +/- | Price (Recorded at 8:45 p.m. ET) |
| Maker (MKR) | +9.07% | $1,415.79 |
| Curve DAO Token (CRV) | +8.74% | $0.5505 |
| Zcash (ZEC) | +7.97% | $39.43 |
The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.85 trillion, following a drop of 0.97% in the last 24 hours.
Stocks pulled back after two straight sessions of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 132.71 points, or 0.31%, to close at 42,454.79. The S&P 500 fell 1.12%, ending at 5,712.20, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 2.04% to close at 17,899.01.
The sell-off occurred before Trump announced 25% tariffs on automobiles and certain automobile parts during a press conference. Shares of domestic automakers like General Motors Co. GM and Ford Motor Co. F plunged during the session.
See More: Best Cryptocurrency Scanners
Analyst Notes: Popular on-chain blockchain analytics firm CryptoQuant noticed that the Coinbase Premium Index was trending in positive territory, a potential sign of "renewed" interest in Bitcoin.
"Historically, a sustained positive Coinbase Premium has sometimes coincided with upward price momentum, as heightened demand from U.S. investors can bolster global market confidence," CryptoQuant added.
The Coinbase Premium Index is a measure of institutional whales' movement, with high values suggesting they might be accumulating BTC.
Widely followed cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez highlighted that stablecoin reserves plateaued in 2025 after a sharp spike in late 2024 due to profit-taking.
"Now that reserves have plateaued, it looks like investors are sitting on the sidelines," Martinez remarked.
Photo by Avi Rozen on Shutterstock
Read Next:
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.