Bitcoin fell underneath $73,000 as futures liquidations soared and worries over this week’s US company earnings triggered a inventory sell-off. Will merchants lastly step in to purchase “discounted” BTC?
Bitcoin (BTC) tumbled to a new 2026 low of $72,945 on Tuesday as bulls failed to hold the $80,000 level as support. Year-to-date, Bitcoin trades at a 15% loss and remains nearly 45% down from its $126,267 all-time high, raising investor concerns that BTC’s cyclical bull market may have reached an end.
Rocky price action in US stock markets is an alleged driver of the selling across the crypto market. Since the end of Q4, 2025, investors questioned whether the costs associated with the artificial intelligence infrastructure build-out and the lofty fundraising and valuations were sustainable.
Investors fear that product demand and revenues may fall short of industry projections, and this souring sentiment is visible across the Magnificent 7 stocks, along with the S&P 500, DOW and NASDAQ, which are currently trading down 0.70% to 1.77%.
AI majors, NVIDIA and Microsoft lost a respective 3.4% and 2.7% during the trading day, while Amazon nursed a 2.67% loss. More than 100 S&P 500 companies are set to report their earnings this week, so the current early-week volatility may simply be a manifestation of investors’ anxiety or a hint of what’s to come once earnings data is posted.
Within the crypto market, liquidations of leveraged positions are adding pressure to the pace of selling, with BTC longs seeing $127.25 million forced closed and ETH longs locking in $159.1 million in liquidations.
Related: Bitcoin, crypto ‘winter’ soon over, says BitWise exec as gold retargets $5K
While many analysts have suggested that Bitcoin is trading at a deep discount, apparent dip-buying from retail investors and institutional investors like Strategy has done little to stem the selling. According to Joe Burnett, Strive’s vice president of Bitcoin strategy, BTC’s current “price action is still sitting within historical norms at $74,000.”
Burnett explained that the “45% Bitcoin drawdown aligns closely with historical volatility,” and added that the “volatility of this magnitude remains a symptom of a rapidly monetizing asset.”
If the selling were to continue, current Bitcoin (BTC/USDT, Binance) orderbook data from TRDR.io shows bids thickening from $71,800 to $63,000. Whether or not traders step in to buy within that range is the real question, and it’s likely that non-crypto-specific macroeconomic and stock market-connected outcomes will continue to be the most impactful driver of Bitcoin’s price.
This text doesn’t include funding recommendation or suggestions. Each funding and buying and selling transfer entails danger, and readers ought to conduct their very own analysis when making a call. Whereas we attempt to offer correct and well timed info, Cointelegraph doesn’t assure the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any info on this article. This text might include forward-looking statements which can be topic to dangers and uncertainties. Cointelegraph is not going to be accountable for any loss or harm arising out of your reliance on this info.
