Bitcoin steadies amid tariff war uncertainty

Bitcoin moved only slightly on Tuesday, remaining largely within a narrow trading range amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade tariffs and global growth prospects, which kept traders cautious toward risk-linked assets.

In contrast, Ether outperformed bitcoin after 180 Life Sciences announced it had raised $425 million to establish an Ether-denominated asset treasury.

Broader cryptocurrency markets saw slight gains, but failed to significantly benefit from Wall Street’s strong performance during the previous night’s session.

Bitcoin held steady at $114,373.5 as of 12:57 a.m. Eastern Time (04:57 GMT). The world’s largest digital asset continues to struggle to make meaningful gains after hitting a record high in mid-July, keeping cryptocurrency prices locked in a narrow trading range.

Crypto markets posted steep losses last week as risk appetite waned, triggering a wave of profit-taking across the sector. Institutional bitcoin purchases also failed to support prices, despite fresh acquisitions by Metaplanet and Strategy.

Tariffs and economic fog weigh on bitcoin

Risk appetite remained subdued as markets faced growing signs of a US economic slowdown — particularly after nonfarm payroll data for July came in below expectations, along with sharp downward revisions to the previous two months' figures.

While this data bolstered expectations of a September interest rate cut, it offered little positive momentum for cryptocurrency markets, which showed minimal reaction to Wall Street’s overnight rebound.

Risk appetite was also broadly constrained by uncertainty over the economic impact of new tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, which are set to take effect this week.

On Monday, Trump threatened steep tariffs on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil — a move that sent the Indian rupee to record lows.