Bitcoin Holds Above $102,000 as Crypto Markets Pull Back After Rally

The cryptocurrency market had a volatile start to the week on Monday, following a strong rally over the weekend, fueled by improved U.S.-China tariff policies that boosted investor sentiment.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin (BTC) is down 2% over the past 24 hours, trading at $102,271. Ethereum (ETH) has dropped 1.3% to $2,472, while Solana (SOL) is steady at $172. XRP was the standout performer, surging 7% to $2.53.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization dropped 3.1% on the day to approximately $3.41 trillion, according to CoinGecko. Leveraged liquidations in the past 24 hours have amounted to $714 million across 213,337 traders, according to CoinGlass. BTC accounted for roughly $202 million and ETH for around $167 million. Meanwhile, altcoins contributed around $94 million.

Analysts say the pullback points to broader macro uncertainty, though sentiment is greatly improved following the Trump administration’s 90-day pause on tariffs for Chinese imports, announced over the weekend.

“The US/China trade tariff hiatus signals a shift toward improved macro sentiment that will float all boats – especially crypto,” said Charles Wayn, co-founder of web3 growth platform Galxe.

Wayn noted that with BTC approaching $105,000, investors are already speculating that this could push Bitcoin to a new all-time high.

“Over the weekend, we also saw a huge rally in the altcoin sector, with ETH surging more than 30% in a much-needed recovery,” he explained. “This momentum, in tandem with Bitcoin’s rally, is a strong signal for the altcoin market and could spark a broader resurgence across web3.”

Spot ETF Flows

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded around $335 million in inflows on May 9, while spot Ethereum ETFs attracted approximately $18 million in inflows, according to SoSoValue data.

Meanwhile, digital asset investment products saw renewed momentum last week, recording $882 million in inflows. This marks the fourth consecutive week of net gains, bringing year-to-date inflows to $6.7 billion, according to CoinShares.

Bitcoin led the way with $867 million, as U.S.-listed ETFs hit a new record of $62.9 billion in cumulative net inflows since launching in January 2024.

​​Despite Ethereum’s price rally of more than 30% over the past week, it attracted just $1.5 million in inflows. Sui, however, recorded $11.7 million last week, overtaking Solana in year-to-date flows with $84 million versus Solana’s $76 million.