Bitcoin fell as much as 3.6% to below $92,000 on Monday after President Donald Trump unveiled 10% tariffs on eight European countries starting February 1, rising to 25% by June if no deal is reached. Major tokens slid and more than $871 million in leveraged positions were liquidated as risk appetite faded.

In the opening weeks of 2026, crypto‑exposed equities have posted gains of 20–50%, sharply outperforming Bitcoin's roughly 9% year‑to‑date rise. Individual stocks such as Metaplanet, Galaxy Digital, Iren, and Bitdeer have led the move, while Coinbase and Robinhood slid after a key US digital asset bill was delayed.

BitMine Immersion Technologies, chaired by Tom Lee, staked 342,560 ETH worth roughly $1 billion over a 48-hour period, tightening Ethereum's liquid supply and reshaping validator onboarding dynamics. The move has pushed Ethereum's staking entry queue to around 735,000 ETH with activation waits exceeding 12 days, while the exit queue sits near 344,000 ETH and averages six days.