In the altcoin market, Ethereum Classic (ETC) jumped more than 15% in a single day, emerging as the weekend’s standout. Bitcoin defended the $65,000 support level last weekend and, after an unexpectedly strong rally, surged to around $71,000 within roughly a week. However, selling pressure intensified at that level, and early this week the rally paused again, with gains stalling around $70,000 on Monday. Over the next several trading days, selling pressure pushed the price down to as low as $65,600 on Thursday.
But buying interest rapidly returned in that zone, causing a swift rebound of around $3,000. Tariff issues began to shake the market in earnest on Friday. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some tariffs imposed by President Trump were illegal, Trump pledged to impose an additional 10% tariff globally on top of existing ones. The news unsettled global trade and risk assets, and Bitcoin briefly fell near $2,000 before paring the losses just as quickly to complete a V-shaped rebound.
Bitcoin was trading back above $68,000, and its market capitalization surpassed $1.36 trillion. Altcoins also caught fire, with ETC up about 16%, and DOT, UNI, NEAR, FIL, and ARB showing strength. The rally was led by mid- to large-cap alts. Polkadot (DOT), Uniswap (UNI), and Near Protocol (NEAR) logged daily gains of up to 8%.
Notably, NEAR, the native token of Near Protocol, appears to be maintaining a short-term uptrend on the back of DeFi and infrastructure ecosystem expectations. The standout name of the day was Ethereum Classic (ETC), by far. ETC surged roughly 16% in a single day to around $9.70. As a stock that had been range-bound for a long time, the relatively thin liquidity boosted buying interest and amplified price volatility.
Filecoin (FIL) and Arbitrum (ARB) also showed strength, drawing investor attention after ETC. Across alts, the broader market rose, lifting total cryptocurrency market capitalization back toward $2.4 trillion, and at the time of writing stood at about $2.415 trillion. As Bitcoin absorbs the tariff headlines, some alts have shown relative strength, signaling a selective rotation in play. BTC and alts have recovered in tandem amid tariff uncertainty, with key points to watch going forward.
Bitcoin holding a strong buying defense around the mid-$60,000s suggests that medium- to long-term bullishness remains intact despite near-term volatility. Resistance around $70,000 reappears, while policy uncertainty surrounding tariffs could cap the upside in the near term, with support around $65,000 likely to hold for now. Some see that if tariff tensions persist, Bitcoin’s narrative as a store of value could regain prominence, even if risk assets remain unsettled.
However, as volatility in traditional markets such as equities and commodities rises, Bitcoin could also swing in the near term, making further tariff policy statements and rulings a factor for future price moves. For investors, a strategic approach that tracks Bitcoin’s key support and resistance levels, the individual momentum of alts, and tariff policy news flow is warranted.
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