Trump’s Tariff Shock: Bitcoin’s Slump or Just a Temporary Glitch?

Upon the announcement of President Trump’s latest tariff escapade, the financial world was akin to a man who had just discovered his trousers were on his head. Bitcoin [BTC], that paragon of digital resilience, attempted to maintain composure but found itself in a state of mild panic, much like a gentleman caught in a downpour without an umbrella.

What happened?

On the 21st of February, His Excellency, Donald Trump, declared that global tariffs would ascend to 15%, a move as thrilling as a sock puppet show. Bitcoin, ever the optimist, briefly flirted with the $68K mark, only to retreat like a timid snail upon encountering a broomstick.

Ethereum [ETH], that steadfast companion of Bitcoin, also succumbed to the gloom, while TOTAL3, the enigmatic figure tracking the crypto market’s collective sigh, dipped by 0.29%. The altcoins, it seems, were all suffering from a case of the vapours.

Wenny Cai, COO at SynFutures, mused that crypto was behaving like a high-beta liquidity proxy-essentially, a nervous cat with a penchant for chaos. “Bitcoin slipping into the mid-$60Ks,” she remarked, “is not merely low sentiment; it’s the result of a stronger dollar and rates that refuse to play nice.”

This tariff hike followed a court’s decision to curtail Trump’s emergency powers, though he cited other trade laws, which are as reliable as a pocket watch in a hurricane.

Critics, including the astute attorney Adam Cochran, argued these laws were as restrictive as a librarian’s sigh, limiting the duration and scope of such tariffs.

It’s not as bad as it looks

Sentiment has plummeted, with the Fear and Greed Index descending into “extreme fear,” a state more common in a haunted house than a stock exchange. Investors, ever the cautious souls, are retreating like snails into their shells, anticipating further losses.

Cai added, “Markets are digesting a more hawkish read-through from the Federal Reserve’s latest minutes… Equities have softened, and the bid has shifted toward cash-like instruments, as if the market were a toddler craving a bedtime story.”

Yet, a glance at the numbers reveals that such moments are often as fleeting as a joke told in a language everyone else forgot. Economist Timothy Peterson, that sage of the X platform, noted that Bitcoin’s long-term outlook is as hopeful as a dachshund’s chances of winning a race.

According to his analysis, which spans since 2011, when at least half of the past two years were positive, Bitcoin surged 10 months later 88% of the time. A statistic as reliable as a weather forecast in a teapot.

On average, returns during these periods reached as high as 82%, a figure that would make even a miser blush. Peterson posits that Bitcoin could ascend to $122,000, a feat as likely as a penguin learning to fly.

Thus, while fear reigns supreme, there may yet be light at the end of the tunnel-assuming the tunnel isn’t being used as a storage unit for expired cheese.

Final Summary

  • Bitcoin price slipped after Trump’s 15% tariff shock, but BTC has risen 88% of the time in similar setups.
  • With Crypto Fear & Greed at 14, this dip could just be panic.

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2026-02-22 17:59