Geopolitics rattle Bitcoin as fear spikes

Bitcoin slid 1.7% to roughly $67,600 ahead of the US market open, extending a volatile start to 2026 as geopolitical tensions and macro uncertainty weighed on risk assets.

The decline mirrored weakness in equity futures, with Nasdaq 100 contracts down 0.9% and S&P 500 futures off 0.6%, underscoring Bitcoin’s strengthening correlation with high-beta technology stocks.

“Investors are turning cautious amid rising tensions around Iran, fresh debate over AI’s broader economic impact, and uncertainty over Federal Reserve rate cuts after recent inflation data,”

Reported Walter Bloomberg on X.

US-listed Bitcoin ETFs saw $360 million in net outflows last week, marking a fourth consecutive week of withdrawals and contributing to a drop of more than 50% from Bitcoin’s October 2025 peak near $126,000.

Analysts now view $60,000 as key near-term support, with some projections, including from Galaxy Digital research, pointing toward the 200-week average near $58,000 if macro pressures intensify.

Sentiment indicators from CryptoQuant place the Fear and Greed Index at 10 in the “extreme fear” zone, while reports of aggressive short positioning highlight rising downside bets across digital assets.

With gold emerging as the most crowded trade in a February survey by Bank of America and technology stocks ranking second, investor preference for traditional hedges suggests continued volatility for crypto markets in the near term.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $67,388.07.