Bitcoin Drops Below Key Levels as Crypto Fear Index Hits Extreme Lows
The cryptocurrency market suffered a sharp downturn on February 26, 2025, driven by macroeconomic pressures, including U.S. trade policy developments and widespread liquidations.
Bitcoin (BTC) plunged to an intraday low of $82,300 before recovering slightly to $85,679 (R$514,074). This marked a 4.9% drop in 24 hours. Ethereum (ETH) followed suit, falling 7.1% to $2,317 (R$13,902, $2,317), while the global crypto market cap declined by 4.2% to $2.81 trillion.
Market sentiment turned negative after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on European Union imports, compounding fears from earlier tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
This policy shift triggered risk-off sentiment across global markets, with cryptocurrencies bearing the brunt. Vikram Subburaj, CEO of Giottus, noted that over 157,000 leveraged traders were liquidated in the last 24 hours, totaling $766 million in losses.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs also saw outflows of $336 million (R$2 billion, $336 million), further pressuring prices. Bitcoin’s decline erased key support levels established earlier in February.
Analysts pointed to technical breakdowns as BTC breached its 50-day moving average and annual VWAP levels. Ethereum also faced significant selling pressure, with liquidations amounting to $126 million (R$756 million, $126 million).
Crypto Market Faces Volatility
XRP dropped to $2.18 (R$13.08, $2.18), continuing its downward trend amid regulatory uncertainty and declining futures open interest. Solana (SOL) experienced one of the steepest declines among major altcoins, falling over 20% in a week to trade at $137 (R$822, $137).
Transfer volume for Solana collapsed by 99%, from $1.99 billion (R$11.94 billion, $1.99 billion) to just $14.5 million (R$87 million, $14.5 million), signaling waning investor confidence. Analysts predict SOL may consolidate between $130 (R$780, $130) and $150 (R$900, $150) if support holds.
Despite the bearish trend, Litecoin (LTC) showed resilience with a 5.78% gain over the past day, trading at $124.85 (R$749.10, $124.85). Analysts attributed this performance to bullish technical indicators and increased retail interest.
As the Crypto Fear & Greed Index plunged to “Extreme Fear” at 10/100—its lowest since June 2022—market participants grew anxious. They are now bracing for further volatility.
Experts suggest that Bitcoin must reclaim the $90K level to restore bullish momentum. Otherwise, it risks testing the critical $80K support zone in the coming days.
Live Market IntelligenceCrypto — Live Market Board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Crypto — Live Market Board
-0.26%
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC | 63,384 | -0.26% | -47.24% | 63,552 | 64,346 | 63,305 | 22,774,743,040 |
| ETH | 1,886 | +0.26% | -58.90% | 1,881 | 1,920 | 1,879 | 7,916,475,392 |
| SOL | 75.89 | -0.40% | -60.44% | 76.20 | 76.99 | 75.39 | 1,473,821,056 |
| XRP | 1.01 | -1.15% | -69.07% | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1,144,044,416 |
| BNB | 609.60 | -1.12% | -26.81% | 616.50 | 619.30 | 609.23 | 1,266,706,432 |
| ADA | 0.18 | -1.98% | -78.22% | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.18 | 238,085,632 |
| DOGE | 0.07 | -1.56% | -70.00% | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 553,256,192 |
| AVAX | 6.38 | +1.04% | -74.11% | 6.32 | 6.42 | 6.21 | 248,470,560 |
| LINK | 8.77 | -0.06% | -62.73% | 8.77 | 8.87 | 8.68 | 317,054,880 |
| DOT | 0.78 | -0.75% | -81.11% | 0.79 | 0.80 | 0.78 | 43,490,492 |
| LTC | 45.08 | -0.85% | -65.45% | 45.47 | 45.59 | 44.98 | 143,727,712 |
| BCH | 213.85 | +0.10% | -65.44% | 213.64 | 215.69 | 212.54 | 137,956,688 |
| TRX | 0.34 | +0.28% | -4.73% | 0.33 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 436,576,064 |
| XLM | 0.16 | -1.33% | -64.46% | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 89,559,864 |
| HBAR | 0.07 | -0.53% | -74.67% | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 22,546,186 |
| NEAR | 1.65 | +2.42% | -40.55% | 1.62 | 1.68 | 1.61 | 187,591,264 |
| ATOM | 1.40 | -2.36% | -70.15% | 1.44 | 1.44 | 1.40 | 18,626,964 |
| AAVE | 89.06 | +0.93% | -72.33% | 88.24 | 90.20 | 88.19 | 129,099,704 |
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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