New York, Feb 24, 2026, 17:01 EST — After-hours
Bitcoin slipped around 0.8% to $64,054 on Tuesday, after dipping as low as $62,673 earlier in the session. Traders remained cautious amid renewed U.S. tariff jitters and ongoing outflows from U.S.-listed bitcoin funds. Ether traded lower as well, off roughly 0.5% at $1,854.
Bitcoin stays stuck at the low end of its recent range, still heading for its sharpest monthly slide since 2022. Bloomberg put the drop at about 24% so far in February, after the token slipped up to 3% to trade near $62,557 earlier Tuesday. 1
For ETF traders looking to tap into bitcoin’s liquidity on the stock market, flows have become the go-to daily stat. According to Bitbo data, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs—structured to actually hold bitcoin and mirror its price—saw net outflows totaling roughly $197.8 million on Feb. 23. The biggest chunk came out of BlackRock’s IBIT and Bitwise’s BITB. 2
Macro signals have turned messier. Starting this Tuesday, the U.S. imposed a temporary 10% tariff on global imports, with the Trump administration aiming to push that up to 15%—but not committing to when, according to Reuters. Carsten Brzeski at ING flagged the risk that this 150-day measure could “endlessly extend,” citing persistent uncertainty. 3
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen described the mood as “still tangible and heavy” with regard to selling pressure, according to a note sent to Fortune. She pointed to tariff headlines dragging down risk sentiment. 4
Volatility has rippled through broader markets as well, with Reuters’ Morning Bid highlighting a cocktail of AI nerves and changing tariff signals while traders wait for Nvidia’s numbers on Wednesday. Crypto’s been mirroring that choppy, hesitant risk tone all month. 5
Axis COO and co-founder Jimmy Xue flagged “policy whiplash” over tariffs as the key theme this week, telling Decrypt that bitcoin “remains tethered to the ‘risk-on’ liquidity cycle.” 6
Still, things can turn quickly. Should Washington indicate the tariff rate isn’t budging — or if ETF flows level out — bitcoin might get some traction after the rough patch in February. On the other hand, bumping up to 15% sooner, or seeing another wave of big redemptions, could pull the token down near the day’s low.
Eyes are on President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, with traders waiting for any hint on tariffs. Nvidia’s report lands Wednesday—risk markets will have to process that, plus the usual daily ETF flow numbers.
