{"id":73050,"date":"2026-02-18T22:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=73050"},"modified":"2026-02-18T22:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:01:35","slug":"geopolitical-tensions-push-bitcoin-lower-driving-market-sentiment-into-extreme-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=73050","title":{"rendered":"Geopolitical Tensions Push Bitcoin Lower, Driving Market Sentiment Into Extreme Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>The waning cryptocurrency market momentum, coupled with ongoing geopolitical tensions, continues to hamper Bitcoin\u2019s price trajectory, pushing it downward. With <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DeItaone\/status\/2023732562808467763?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">BTC\u2019s price and sentiment dropping<\/a> significantly, the market appears to have entered a phase of heightened uncertainty and caution as investors look for alternative assets to hedge against geopolitical risks.<\/p>\n<h2>Bitcoin Weakness Reflects Broader Risk-Off Move<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/bitcoin-approaches-its-4-year-sma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener \">Bitcoin remains on a downward trajectory<\/a> as its price trades below the $70,000 mark, bolstered by the geopolitical tensions around the world. Following the unfavorable conditions of Bitcoin and the sector, the market is now positioned at a critical moment, where the bearish action could either flip or continue.<\/p>\n<p>Walter Bloomberg <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DeItaone\/status\/2023732562808467763?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">shared<\/a> that <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/economist-says-bitcoin-is-a-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener \">Bitcoin<\/a> is sliding as geopolitical risks spur risk-off trade after examining the cryptocurrency\u2019s price against Nasdaq Futures. Such synchronous decrease indicates that market behavior across asset classes is once again being driven by macro variables like changing interest-rate expectations and a generalized feeling of risk aversion.<\/p>\n<p>The report shows that Bitcoin fell by 1.7% to about $67,000 ahead of the United States Open, tracking weaker equity futures. Meanwhile, Nasdaq 100 Futures experienced a drop of 0.9% and S&amp;P 500 contracts fell by 0.6%.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-664592 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=640&amp;resize=640%2C360\" alt=\"Bitcoin\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=980 980w, https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=750 750w, https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bitcoin-chart-from-Walter-Bloomberg.jpeg?w=1140 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"><\/p>\n<p>This development has impacted investors\u2019 sentiment and focus. Currently, investors are becoming more cautious due to growing tensions over Iran, renewed discussions about AI\u2019s broader economic effects, and uncertainty about a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/bitcoin-news\/bitcoin-price-braces-for-fomc-volatility-as-history-shows-major-post%E2%80%91fed-sell%E2%80%91offs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Fed rate cut<\/a> following recent inflation data.<\/p>\n<p>In the midst of the geopolitical tension, flows, especially from Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), have stayed negative. US-listed Bitcoin ETFs recorded a fourth consecutive week of outflows, with <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/bitcoin-spot-etfs-360m-outflows-extend-red-streak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener \">over $360 million withdrawn just last week<\/a>. These outflows point to weakening sentiment as indicated by CryptoQuant\u2019s Fear and Greed Index, which is positioned at 10, classified as extreme fear.<\/p>\n<p>While the market has shifted into extreme fear levels, analysts believe that BTC might extend its ongoing consolidation phase, with $60,000 considered as the main support. However, further macro shocks are expected to push BTC\u2019s price back toward the $50,000 threshold.<\/p>\n<h2>Which BTC Investors Are Under Stress<\/h2>\n<p>During increased bearish phases, investors\u2019 action and activity are crucial to gauging the current market state and its next possible direction. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/anlcnc1\/status\/2023743121851400447?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">recent analysis<\/a>, Anil, an on-chain researcher and investor, has outlined a key divergence between Bitcoin short-term holders and long-term holders.<\/p>\n<p>With the market\u2019s current state, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbtc.com\/bitcoin-news\/bitcoin-short-term-holders-deep-in-loss-mvrv-signals-capitulation-phase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">BTC short-term holders<\/a> are going through a stress period driven by capitulation. Meanwhile, long-term Bitcoin holders have yet to undergo a true stress or capitulation process.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinist.com\/bitcoin-lth-sell-side-dries-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener \">long-term holders<\/a> eventually go through a phase of capitulation in every cycle, and then a fresh uptrend starts after a period of accumulation. However, it is hard to determine whether the group will capitulate again this time. Should this occur, Anil noted that the area below 1 on the LTH Unrealized Profit\/Loss Ratio chart would be the decisive point for the market.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tradingview.com\/x\/gNkmH5Ul\/\" alt=\"Bitcoin\" width=\"2084\" height=\"1628\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The waning cryptocurrency market momentum, coupled with ongoing geopolitical tensions, continues to hamper Bitcoin\u2019s price trajectory, pushing it downward. With BTC\u2019s price and sentiment dropping significantly, the market appears to have entered a phase of heightened uncertainty and caution as investors look for alternative assets to hedge against geopolitical risks. Bitcoin Weakness Reflects Broader Risk-Off [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-73050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crypto","tag-doge","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73050\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}