Bitcoin price slipped near $87,800 as weak momentum kept buyers from holding key support.
Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin fell as high leverage and broad risk-off selling hit altcoins.
Fed rate pause and CLARITY Act delays increased uncertainty, limiting any meaningful crypto rebound.
Crypto prices today showed bearish signals as investors turn cautious. Bitcoin price struggled to hold $87,000, leading to a market-wide downward rally. Most top coins traded in the red zone, except for TRON and BNB. Global crypto market cap also dipped below $3 trillion by 1.11% to $2.98 trillion at press time. The dip comes amid the US Fed decision to hold current interest rates, CLARITY Act delays, and other macro uncertainties.
Here’s what happened in the crypto market today based on CoinMarketCap data.
Bitcoin price fell 1.04% to $87,821.78, with a market cap of $1.75 trillion. The leading cryptocurrency showed weakness with $43.13 billion in trading volume over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin's recent performance suggested buyers were struggling to defend key support levels.
CoinSwitch Markets Desk noted, “BTC is trading modestly near $89,000 after failing to hold above the $90,000 psychological level, as the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged in a widely anticipated decision, extending its policy pause. The Fed noted that economic activity continues to expand at a solid pace, while job gains have moderated and the unemployment rate shows signs of stabilizing, even as inflation remains somewhat elevated.”
CoinSwitch analysts further explained, “In parallel, gold has surged to fresh all-time highs above $5,300, reinforcing broader safe-haven dynamics. From a technical perspective, $90,000 remains key resistance for Bitcoin, with a sustained break required to unlock upside toward $91,000–$92,000 while $89,000 continues to act as strong near-term support, where buyers have repeatedly stepped in.”
Ethereum price was at $2,937.61, down 2.02% in the last 24 hours. However, beneath this decline lay a concerning trend. The coin’s estimated leverage ratio on major exchanges had hit record highs. The 7-day moving average of ETH sat around 0.632.
This heavy concentration of leveraged positions made the market highly sensitive to sudden price swings and liquidation events. ETH attempted to reclaim the $3,000 level after struggling below this psychological barrier for a long time.
Technical analysis showed Ethereum trading below its 50-day and 100-day moving averages, both sloping downward. This pointed to fragile short or medium-term momentum. The $2,800 support zone had repeatedly absorbed selling pressure. However, rallies failed to generate sustained upside movement.
Adding to the instability, order-flow data revealed erratic trader behavior. The Taker Buy Sell Ratio recently fell to 0.86, its lowest reading since September, before rebounding sharply to 1.16. Such rapid reversals showed a market driven more by short-term positioning than sustained confidence.
Solana's price was down 3.12% at $122.51 in the last 24 hours. With a trading volume of $3.80 billion, Solana was among the hardest-hit cryptocurrencies in the world’s top ten. The rest of the market painted a red picture as well. XRP price dipped 1.63% to $1.86. Dogecoin slipped 2.19% to $0.1213, and Cardano dropped 2.01% to $0.3479.
The only two coins that broke this downward pattern among top crypto prices today were BNB and TRON. BNB went up 0.01% to $894.87 and TRON gained 0.45% to trade at $0.2941. Stablecoins maintained their peg with Tether at $0.9985 and USDC at $0.9998, providing stability amid the market's negative performance.
Here are the global cues impacting crypto prices today.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold in its first meeting of 2026. Fed Chair Jerome Powell talked about a ‘clearly improving’ economic outlook. Bitcoin typically performs well in low-interest-rate environments. Traders were watching for any signal that the bank would lower rates at its next meeting in March. However, Powell made it clear that officials would wait to see future data before making any moves.
After the announcement, the chance of another rate cut by April dropped to 26%. June is now being seen as the next likely window at 61%. Powell's term as chair expired in May, and President Trump was expected to nominate a successor next week. A new appointment might bring a more favorable approach to Fed rate cuts.
The crypto industry is hopeful for revisions to the current tax framework on Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs) under the upcoming Indian Union Budget 2026. Industry leaders are calling for changes that could impact crypto adoption and liquidity in one of the world's largest potential markets.
Ashish Singhal, Co-founder of CoinSwitch, stated, “India’s VDA ecosystem is at a pivotal stage, with growing adoption across the country. However, the current tax framework presents challenges for retail participants by taxing transactions without recognising losses, creating friction rather than fairness. A reduction in TDS on VDA transactions from 1% to 0.01% could improve liquidity, ease compliance, and enhance transparency while preserving transaction traceability. Raising the TDS threshold to Rs. 5 lakh would help protect small investors from disproportionate impact.”
Singhal explained, “Introduced in 2022 as a stand-in for regulation at that time, VDA taxation has since been complemented by strong oversight from FIU-IND and improved compliance. This Budget presents a great opportunity to revisit the framework in a manner beneficial to both investors and the government. We remain hopeful that the government will recognize this gap and consider reviewing the current framework soon.”
The US White House would hold a meeting next week with executives from the banking and crypto industries to resolve differences over CLARITY Act. The conflict had slowed progress on this important crypto legislation in the US.
The discussion would likely focus on how crypto companies treated interest and reward structures for dollar-pegged stablecoins in customer accounts. Banks worried that stablecoin rewards might cause them to lose customers to crypto firms, while crypto companies wanted clear rules for operating in the market.
According to a CoinGape report, prediction markets gave only a 57% chance that the CLARITY Act would become law in 2026. Industry experts warned that the crypto market bull run might depend on the passage of this legislation. If Congress didn't act now, the next administration might need to restart the entire legislative process.
Also Read: Bitcoin News Today: Hayes Warns the Yen Slide and JGB Sell-Off May Spark Fed Action that Lifts Bitcoin
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced the exchange would match government contributions to Trump Accounts for the eligible children of its employees. The company was joining the initiative backed by President Trump, which gave every US child born between 2025 and 2028 a government-backed investment account with a $1,000 seed deposit.
Armstrong said Coinbase hoped to eventually make its contribution in Bitcoin, though crypto exposure was currently not allowed inside Trump Accounts. The accounts could only invest in index mutual funds and index exchange-traded funds for now. Spot Bitcoin ETFs, Ethereum ETFs, and tokenized assets were excluded, which stood out given Trump's recent support for domestic Bitcoin mining and approval of crypto ETFs.
Markets were being pulled in two directions. Optimism around tech earnings was supporting risk appetite, as reported by cryptonews. However, trade uncertainty, sharp currency moves, and doubts about US fiscal policy were keeping investors cautious.
The dollar remained under pressure even after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeated the administration's preference for a strong dollar. This dollar weakness typically benefited crypto assets as investors looked for alternative stores of value.
Gold and silver had pushed to fresh all-time highs as investors stayed committed to physical assets. For crypto, the mood remained cautious with thin spot ETF activity and softer derivatives positioning keeping Bitcoin trading in a tight range.
Crypto prices today reflected a market caught between stabilization and unresolved risks. While buyers were attempting to defend key support levels across major cryptocurrencies, momentum remained fragile. The combination of high leverage in Ethereum, regulatory uncertainty, and macroeconomic volatility created a complex environment for recovery.
Also Read: Dogecoin News Today: DOGE Slips Back Into Consolidation as $0.124 Break Triggers Fresh Caution
1. Why did crypto prices go down today?
Crypto prices dropped because investors got nervous due to market uncertainty. Bitcoin went down as its demand decreased, and Ethereum fell a lot because of big risks with borrowed money. At the same time, not knowing what US rules will be and no news about interest rate cut change made people flock to safe-haven assets.
2. Why was Bitcoin price down today?
Bitcoin is having trouble around $87,000 because of reduced demand for the token on global volatility concerns. Traders do not want to buy more because US Fed interest rates have not changed and CLARITY Act seems to be getting delayed further. Bitcoin ETFs are also not pulling huge inflows.
3. Should you buy Ethereum?
Ethereum is seen as risky right now due to high-leveraged positions on major exchanges. This means many traders are using borrowed funds, which makes it more likely they will have to sell suddenly. ETH is also trading under $3,000, and technically, its important moving averages are not strong right now.
4. Why did Solana and other altcoins go down today?
Solana and other altcoins fell, with Bitcoin’s price decline leading the decline. Selling pressure increased for Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano, with only BNB and TRON holding up. The increase in demand for safe-haven assets like gold and silver has impacted crypto prices today.
5. Why are Fed decisions and the CLARITY Act important for crypto?
What the Fed does affects available funds and investors' risk-taking. Crypto regulations affect how the market grows over the long term. The US Fed keeping rates unchanged took away hopes of cuts soon, and delays in the CLARITY Act made investors uneasy. Thus, making them feel less confident and more cautious, which in turn has slowed down any big crypto recovery.
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