United States President Donald Trump announced on Friday a 10% global tariff under alternative trade statutes and on Saturday raised that rate to 15% with immediate effect. While critics argue these laws cap both the duration and scope of his tariff powers, major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin around $68,000 and Ether showed little reaction.

The cryptocurrency market has reversed most gains achieved after the 2024 U.S. election, now roughly 40% below its October 2025 peak. Total3 rose more than 91% to $1.16 trillion by December 2024 before slipping toward about $713 billion, while Bitcoin and Ether also saw drawdowns of over 50% and about 60%, respectively.

According to Santiment on February 19, daily new addresses on Solana have been increasing even as market sentiment weakens. SOL trades around $84 after a multi‑month retreat that left it 67% under its September 2025 high, with derivatives funding deeply negative and exchange outflows topping inflows in recent weeks.

Bitcoin's price has hovered near $68,000 resistance in recent days, trading around $67,960 with no notable 24-hour change. Whales recently realized more than $208 million in profits, the seventh such spike in the past two years. This pattern has often preceded short-term turbulence and, after supply absorption, local bottoms or stabilization.

On February 21, 2026, IoTeX disclosed that a private key tied to a token safe was compromised, enabling unauthorized asset transfers. On-chain data indicates roughly $8.8 million drained across multiple tokens, with funds moved into ETH and partially bridged to Bitcoin. IoTeX said preliminary assessments suggest the actual loss could be significantly lower than rumors.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, CoinGlass data indicated a bullish turn in XRP derivatives, with open interest up 2.56% and about 1,660,000,000 XRP tied to unsettled contracts. Over the past 24 hours, XRP's spot price advanced 2.45%, briefly reclaiming its weekly high near $1.45, while XRP-focused ETFs reported zero inflows and outflows in their last session.

According to Finbold, Solana and Tron are viewed as two cryptocurrencies that could each approach a $100 billion market capitalization by the close of 2026. Solana currently trades near $86 with a market cap of about $49 billion, while Tron changes hands around $0.28 with a valuation close to $27 billion. Analysts cite factors such as protocol upgrades, institutional involvement, and increased on-chain usage as possible drivers of further gains.

Bitcoin has been trading in a consolidation range above $65K for more than a week after a 46% decline from $126K to $60K over the last three months, with realized losses exceeding $22 billion. VanEck analysts said 1–2 year holders, who largely bought near $72K, have sharply cut their selling as many are now underwater, while Bitcoin’s hash rate has fallen 14% over 90 days, a pattern that previously preceded stronger near-term returns.