Crypto Market Update: Bitcoin & Others Slip As Trump Imposes Up To 245% Tariff On China

Crypto Market Update: The digital assets continue to bleed as the US President Donald Trump slapped up to 245% tariff on Chinese goods. The intensifying trade war and macroeconomic concerns have continued to weigh on the investors’ sentiment, wiping off the previous gains from the digital assets space. Bitcoin price today slipped more than 2% while ETH, XRP, SOL, DOGE, and Cardano prices fell between 4% and 7%.

Crypto Market Update: Trump’s 245% Tariff On China Sparks Concerns

The crypto market slipped today after US President Donald Trump escalated the long-standing trade war with China by imposing a fresh 245% tariff on a wide range of imports. According to a White House document released in the late US hours on Tuesday, the move targets critical minerals and related products, citing national security and economic resilience as key reasons.

Meanwhile, the fact sheet stated that China now faces tariffs of up to 245% following its “retaliatory actions” and lack of cooperation. However, this is not the first volley in the tariff saga, as it continued to dampen the crypto market sentiment over the past few weeks.

Trump’s Tariff On China

For context, it began with a 20% levy, followed by a 34% hike on April 2nd. As tensions grew, Trump raised the rate again, reaching 104%. In response, China imposed an 84% tariff on the US goods.

Trump responded by increasing the US tariff to 125%. However, it has excluded certain tech products from China, which has boosted market sentiment. However, just last week, China matched that level, lifting its tariffs to 125%. The situation escalated dramatically this week with the 245% blanket tariff.

The White House cited the need to protect America’s defense sector, tech advancement, and infrastructure. As per Reuters, China exports over $400 billion worth of goods to the U.S. annually — far more than any other country. The impact of this aggressive move is now spilling over into the financial sector, including the crypto market.

How Crypto Prices Are Performing?

The global crypto market cap lost more than 2.3% from yesterday to $2.63 trillion while its one-day volume fell 6% to $73.89 billion. Besides, the fear and greed index showed a reading of 29, indicating a “Fear” momentum hovering in the market.

Notably, BTC price today fell nearly more than 2.5% to $83,368.76, while ETH price fell about 5% to $1,566. On the other hand, XRP price today was down nearly 4% to $2.04 and SOL price slipped more than 3% to $124.89.

Simultaneously, Cardano price today slipped nearly 7% to $0.6032. In the meme coins segment, DOGE price was down around 5% to $0.1528 and SHIB’s value lost around 3% to $0.00001160.

Bitcoin Whale Continues To Dump Amid Crypto Market Woes

The recent slump in BTC price also comes as Bitcoin whales appear to be losing confidence in the asset’s potential amid an intensifying trade war. Besides, speculations are also high that the whales are booking profit, reflecting a waning risk bet appetite of the investors. The US vs China tensions amid Trump’s tariff policies have weighed on the investors’ sentiment, causing a massive selloff in the market.

For context, renowned analyst Ali Martinez recently highlighted the selling trend. In a recent X post, Martinez said “Whales have been taking profits during the recent rally.” According to him, the whales have offloaded more than 29,000 BTC from April 9.