- Bitcoin steadies near $112,574 after flash crash wipes $1.7B in leverage.
- Ethereum trades at $4,198, struggling to recover momentum.
- Macro worries, Fed policy, and liquidations keep traders cautious.
Cryptocurrencies continue to be defensive this Tuesday, September 23, as investors lick their wounds from the carnage that hit markets barely 24 hours ago.
After a high-stakes selloff erased over $1.7 billion in leverage overnight, even the biggest digital coins haven’t found their footing.
The mood? Anxious, with traders bracing for more bumps ahead as macro jitters and regulatory headlines swirl.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and friends: Cautious trade after the crash
The fallout from Monday’s sharp drop is still echoing across exchanges. Bitcoin , still the market’s north star, is trying to pick itself up after dropping under $112,000.
As of this morning, it’s hovering around $112,574, just a fractional move higher that does little to erase the pain of the previous session.
Ethereum, too, is feeling the weight. The second-largest crypto by market cap changed hands at $4,198, a modest but underwhelming move after Monday’s slide to below $4,100.
Solana is faring no better, sitting at $219 while technical analysts debate whether buyers will step in or a further drop is in store.
XRP slipped to $2.84 as well, breaking a weeks-long upswing.
Meanwhile, Dogecoin is trading at $0.24, down 3.79%, offering little consolation to holders who have already seen the token shed more than 14% since its last peak.
The culprit? Monday’s flash crash was driven by a perfect storm: technical breakdowns, surging Treasury yields in the US, ongoing macroeconomic worries, and a rush of forced liquidations that left hundreds of thousands of traders on the wrong side of the trade.
There’s little appetite for bold bets as risk aversion lingers and volumes thin out.
Beyond prices: Policy shifts and broader market moves
It’s not all about the charts, though. In the background, the Fed’s rate outlook is shaping sentiment across risk assets.
The central bank’s slightly softer stance has analysts speculating about when relief could flow back into crypto, but for now, most remain cautious.
Meanwhile, Google’s ongoing push into blockchain infrastructure and a key crypto, blockchain, and AI conference kicking off in Zurich give the sector something to cheer about even in a tough week.
As September draws to a close, nobody is resting easy. Volatility is the only constant, and with both policy and sentiment in flux, everyone’s watching for either a relief bounce or another unforgiving leg down.
