Bitcoin Drops Below $65,000 Following Trump's Tariff Plan

Market Sentiment and Macroeconomic Pressures On February 23, 2026, U.S.
President Donald Trump's announcement of plans to increase global tariffs from 10% to 15% triggered a sharp sell-off in cryptocurrency markets.
The price of Bitcoin lost more than 5% of its value, falling below the $65,000 threshold, while Ether followed suit with a similar decline to $1,861.
This mid-February decline in Bitcoin triggered automated stop-loss orders, creating a negative spiral in the market.
Despite being characterized as "digital gold" during periods of inflation and geopolitical uncertainty in the past, Bitcoin's performance in early 2026 has defied these expectations.
Current data indicates that the cryptocurrency is reacting as a high-risk asset sensitive to macroeconomic news, much like technology stocks.
Expert Opinions and Global Market Divergence A report published by the Franklin Templeton Institute emphasized that uncertainty regarding interest rates and global liquidity remains the biggest obstacle to a recovery in cryptocurrencies.
Mike McGlone, an expert at Bloomberg Intelligence, interpreted Bitcoin's failure to rise in parallel with gold as a sign of crisis.
McGlone argued that Bitcoin lagging behind major stock indices points to a fundamental shift in investor sentiment.
Despite the decline in cryptocurrency markets, Asian stock markets recorded gains during trading on February 23.
This situation has made the divergence between crypto assets and traditional equity markets more pronounced amid the growing environment of uncertainty regarding tariffs.