Bitcoin Drops Below $64,000 as Market Fear Intensifies
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 24 2026
0mins
Source: Benzinga
- Bitcoin Plummets: Bitcoin has slipped below $64,000, marking a nearly 50% decline from its all-time high set in October, indicating a sharp deterioration in market sentiment due to new global tariffs and AI disruption fears.
- Ethereum Trading Volume Surge: Ethereum dropped to an intraday low of $1,813, with trading volume soaring by 86% in the last 24 hours, reflecting a strong reaction from investors to the market volatility.
- Severe Market Liquidations: According to Coinglass, over $466 million was liquidated from the market in the last 24 hours, with Bitcoin alone accounting for $233 million, highlighting the high leverage risks and instability in the market.
- Fear Sentiment Spreads: The Crypto Fear & Greed Index indicates that market sentiment has plunged into “Extreme Fear,” suggesting increasing investor anxiety about future price movements, which may lead to further sell-offs.
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Analyst Views on COIN
Wall Street analysts forecast COIN stock price to rise
25 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 173.990
Low
230.00
Averages
361.63
High
440.00
Current: 173.990
Low
230.00
Averages
361.63
High
440.00
About COIN
Coinbase Global, Inc. is a holding company of Coinbase, Inc. and other subsidiaries. The Company provides a platform that serves as a compliant on-ramp to the onchain economy and enables users to engage in a variety of activities with their crypto assets in both proprietary and third-party product experiences enabled by access to decentralized applications. It offers consumers their primary financial account for the onchain economy; institutions a full-service prime brokerage platform with access to deep pools of liquidity across the crypto marketplace, and developers a suite of products granting access to build onchain. The Company offers products and services to various customer groups: consumers, businesses, institutions, and developers. Its transaction products consist of consumer trading, prime trading, markets, base protocol and Coinbase wallet. The Company also provides market infrastructure in the form of exchanges for customers to trade spots and derivatives.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Service Expansion: Coinbase has announced that it will allow users in India to trade using rupees, marking a significant expansion of its services in Asia's third-largest economy, which is expected to attract more users to the crypto market.
- Payment Channel: Users can deposit and withdraw rupees through the immediate payment service channel, a convenience that will enhance user experience and promote trading activity, further driving Coinbase's market penetration in India.
- Diverse Trading Products: Users will have access to spot trading across a range of assets and perpetual futures contracts covering major crypto assets, which not only enriches trading options but may also attract a broader investor base.
- Compliance Requirements: India imposes strict anti-money laundering regulations on crypto exchanges, and despite facing a 30% tax on trading gains, Coinbase's compliance registration will aid its long-term development in this market.
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- Market Performance Discrepancy: Bitcoin, with a market cap of $1.3 trillion, has dropped 35% since its relative strength peaked nearly a year ago, while the Nasdaq-100 has rallied, creating a 70-percentage-point gap, the widest since March 2019, indicating Bitcoin's relative weakness in the market.
- Shift to Bearish Options: For the first time, options volumes in key crypto equities like iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and Michael Saylor's MSTR are shifting bearish, with put volumes surpassing calls on Tuesday, reflecting investor pessimism about Bitcoin's future prospects.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: The recent sale of Bitcoin by Strategy for the first time in four years may have prompted investors to make room for upcoming IPOs, while the growing popularity of alternative trading derivatives could be diverting attention from spot crypto, further deteriorating market sentiment.
- Interest Rate Impact: Analysts suggest that rising interest rates may still be the primary catalyst for crypto weakness, as historical data shows Bitcoin's poor performance during rate hikes, indicating that investors need to diversify their holdings to mitigate risks.
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- Market Uptrend: The S&P 500 rose 0.13% on Tuesday, marking its ninth consecutive day of gains, the longest streak since last May, and is up 20% from March lows, indicating a robust market recovery.
- Job Data Focus: ADP is set to release May payroll numbers on Wednesday, with economists expecting a gain of 110,000 jobs, slightly above April's 109,000, as investors watch for implications on the Fed's policy direction.
- Tech Stock Surge: HPE shares soared 19.5% on Tuesday, the largest jump since its 2015 spin-off, driven by strong AI-related demand, and are up 133% year-to-date, reflecting robust market demand and investor confidence.
- Cryptocurrency Decline: Bitcoin fell below $70,000, hitting its lowest level since April, alongside Ethereum dropping below $2,000, showcasing the volatility in the crypto market and cautious investor sentiment.
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- Strong Market Performance: The S&P 500 rose by 0.13%, the Dow Jones by 0.45%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.48%, with all three indices reaching new all-time highs, reflecting strong investor confidence in tech stocks amid a surge in AI investments.
- Marvell Technology Soars: Marvell Technology's stock surged over 32% after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicted the company would be the next to achieve a $1 trillion valuation, significantly boosting investor confidence in its future growth prospects.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Strong Earnings: Hewlett Packard Enterprise's stock jumped more than 19% after reporting Q2 adjusted EPS of 79 cents, well above the consensus estimate of 54 cents, and raising its full-year adjusted EPS forecast to $3.35-$3.45, reflecting robust demand driven by AI.
- Labor Market Strength: US April JOLTS job openings unexpectedly rose by 731,000 to a 23-month high of 7.618 million, surpassing expectations of a decline to 6.866 million, indicating resilience in the labor market and further propelling stock market gains.
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- Bitcoin Price Drop: Bitcoin fell below $70,000 for the first time since April, currently priced at $67,692.76, reflecting a more than 5% decline and indicating deteriorating market sentiment that has shaken investor confidence.
- Long Liquidations Surge: Crypto exchanges recorded $594 million in long liquidations over the past 24 hours, illustrating how forced liquidations amid market volatility have intensified downward pressure on prices.
- Impact of Strategy's Sale: Strategy's first sale of Bitcoin since 2022, despite prior communication, reversed founder Michael Saylor's mantra of 'never sell your Bitcoin,' causing panic among investors and leading to significant market fluctuations.
- ETF Outflows: Bitcoin ETFs have experienced their longest streak of net outflows, marking the 11th consecutive day, which raises concerns about future capital inflows and market stability as investor worries escalate.
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- Strong Labor Market: US April JOLTS job openings unexpectedly rose by 731,000 to a 23-month high of 7.618 million, surpassing expectations of 6.866 million, indicating labor market resilience and driving stock market gains, particularly in tech stocks.
- Tech Stock Surge: Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) shares surged over 25% after reporting Q2 adjusted EPS of 79 cents, significantly above the consensus estimate of 54 cents, and raising its full-year adjusted EPS forecast to $3.35-$3.45, reflecting robust growth in AI-driven demand.
- Market Volatility Factors: Despite overall market gains, initial declines occurred due to uncertainty surrounding a US-Iran ceasefire, with oil prices slightly down as President Trump stated negotiations with Iran are progressing “at a rapid pace,” potentially affecting investor sentiment.
- Software Stocks Under Pressure: Intuit (INTU) saw its stock drop over 10% after Goldman Sachs downgraded it to sell with a price target of $276, leading to a broader decline in the software sector, highlighting a divergence in market performance among tech stocks.
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