BTC drops under $90K as global market turmoil weighs on risk assets.

Ether Slides Below $3,000 as Bitcoin and Risk Assets Fall

Ether has emerged as the weakest performer among major cryptocurrencies, falling more than 7% over the past 24 hours and dropping below the $3,000 mark for the first time since January 2.

Bitcoin (BTC $89,306) also declined, slipping 3% below $90,000 during U.S. morning trading on Tuesday. The selloff was fueled by a meltdown in Japan’s government bond market and renewed tariff threats from U.S. President Trump against Europe, which weighed heavily on risk assets.

Altcoins broadly underperformed, while Bitcoin’s dominance—the metric tracking the largest cryptocurrency’s share of the total crypto market capitalization—climbed to 59.8%, according to TradingView.

“Volatility is back, and in line with broader risk assets, I expect Bitcoin to trend lower, with altcoins likely to take the brunt of the short-term impact,” said Paul Howard of trading firm Wincent.

U.S. equities and global markets reflected the risk-off sentiment: the Nasdaq fell nearly 2%, the Nikkei lost 2.5% overnight, and Germany’s DAX slipped 1%. Safe-haven assets outperformed, with gold rising 3% and silver 7%, both reaching record highs.

Following Tuesday’s decline, Bitcoin has surrendered much of its 2026 gains and now trades just 3% above its January 1 level.