• Cryptos fell further early Tuesday after China announced retaliatory tariffs on select US imports.
• Meanwhile, US Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $234.40Mn outflows yesterday.

Cryptocurrency prices have taken another hit as retaliatory tariffs, announced by China, further dampen sentiments.

Bitcoin’s price, which showed some resilience in Monday’s trading session, opened the week at $98,465 at the CME and fell to a daily low of $91,455 during the Asian trading session.

Liquidations worth roughly $2.2 billion rocked the market as major alts logged double-digit losses.

Bitcoin’s price began to recover over the London and NY sessions, breaking above $100,000 to a daily high of $102,880. Major alts like Ethereum also parred losses as it rose to $2,910 from a daily low of $2,262.

However, during the early hours of Tuesday, Beijing announced a 15% tariff on coal and other energy imports from the US and a 10% tariff on oil and agricultural equipment, further dousing sentiments.

Bitcoin is down 3.65% at $99,125 while Ethereum is 5.86% lower at $2,730 as of publishing.

Coinbase, the largest US-based crypto exchange, indicated the addition of Ether.fi (ETHFI) and Bittensor (TAO) to its listing roadmap.

ETHFI is a decentralized protocol token offering liquid staking and restaking solutions for Ethereum. Meanwhile, Bittensor’s TAO has multiple purposes within the ecosystem, acting as a utility token and a reward mechanism. 

Traders React to Coinbase Listing Announcement

Coinbase only supports two types of assets: native assets on their network and tokens that adhere to a supported token standard. Based on this standard, the exchange has added ETHFI and TAO to its listing roadmap.

The exchange posted the update on X (Twitter), suggesting that ETHFI and TAO meet its listing threshold. The US-based exchange also shared the contract addresses for the two tokens.

“Assets added to the roadmap today: Ether.fi (ETHFI), and Bittensor (TAO),” the post read.

Coinbase’s decision to add ETHFI and TAO to its listing roadmap follows what the exchange describes as a “thorough processes and standards evaluation for legal, compliance and technical security.” The criteria do not consider a project’s market cap or popularity.

After the Coinbase listing announcement, ETHFI and TAO token prices reacted, soaring by over 30% each before profit booking kicked in.

The surge was expected, coming off as a typical reaction of tokens following listing announcements on popular crypto exchanges. For instance, the Base token TOSHI recently skyrocketed by 70% when Coinbase added it to its listing roadmap. The same reaction happens following Binance exchange’s listing announcements.

Such reactions come amid the “buy-the-rumor, sell-the-event” situation and the expectation of increased liquidity. It is worth noting that Binance is the largest crypto exchange in terms of trading volume metrics. Meanwhile, Coinbase is the largest US-based crypto exchange. Given their high trading volumes and liquidity, it becomes easier for traders to buy and sell the tokens on these platforms.

Higher liquidity often leads to price appreciation, reducing price volatility and making it easier for traders to enter and exit positions. Other factors at play include increased accessibility, increasing demand, credibility, and trust.

Hedera’s native token, HBAR, has faced a sharp decline after failing to breach the $0.40 resistance level. The altcoin recently retraced to $0.25, a significant drop that has left traders uncertain. 

While this correction may signal bearish sentiment in the short term, the broader macro outlook remains highly bullish. However, for HBAR to reclaim momentum, it must navigate the growing hesitation among market participants.

HBAR Traders Are Uncertain

The market’s reaction to HBAR’s recent downturn is evident in the Futures market data. Open Interest currently stands at $216 million, a sharp decline from $367 million just three days ago. This $150 million drop highlights the hesitancy among traders, many of whom are liquidating positions.

The contraction in Open Interest suggests a shift toward bearish sentiment. Traders are moving out of leveraged positions, signaling decreased confidence in a near-term recovery. As a result, unless a resurgence in interest occurs, HBAR’s price action could remain subdued.

From a technical perspective, HBAR’s macro momentum reflects a strengthening bearish trend. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dropped to a three-month low, last seen in November 2024. Currently sitting below the neutral 50.0 level, the indicator highlights growing downside pressure.

The falling RSI suggests sellers are gaining control, making it more challenging for bulls to push prices higher. If this downward momentum continues, it could suppress any breakout attempts, keeping HBAR range-bound for an extended period.

HBAR Price Prediction: Finding A Breach

Despite the short-term bearish pressure, HBAR is forming a macro bull flag pattern, historically a precursor to substantial rallies. If this setup plays out, the altcoin could see a 684% surge, targeting $2.83. However, for this rally to materialize, HBAR must decisively break through the $0.40 resistance.

In the near term, the probability of an immediate breakout remains low. The price is likely to continue consolidating within the $0.25 to $0.40 range. If downward pressure intensifies, HBAR could lose support at $0.25, triggering a further decline toward $0.18.

The only way to invalidate this bearish outlook is for HBAR to reclaim $0.40 as a support level. A successful breach of this resistance could fuel a rally toward $0.47, confirming a breakout from the bull flag pattern and paving the way for higher price targets.