Crypto Markets Slump Following Disappointing US Jobs Report

Crypto markets opened the week on softer footing, with prices slipping lower after last week’s brief rebound.

On Monday, Feb. 16, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $67,500, down about 2% on the day and 1.7% over the past week, though it briefly rallied to $70,000 earlier today.

Since dropping to as low as $60,000 the first week of February, BTC has mostly been trading in a tight range between $68,000-$70,000. Trading volumes remained around $40 billion over the past 24 hours, suggesting active but indecisive positioning.

Ethereum (ETH) is down slightly more over the past 24 hours with 3% losses, while down 3.5% on the weekly timeframe.

Total crypto market capitalization fell 2% over the past 24 hours to $2.39 trillion, with most of the top-10 tokens moderately lower on the day. TRON (TRX) was the lone exception, posting slight gains on the day, while Dogecoin (DOGE) lost the most, down 7.5% in the past 24 hours, but still nearly 7% in the green on the week.

‘Macro Hedge Narrative Remains Challenged’

Despite pockets of resilience, analysts continue to flag a lack of strong directional conviction. In a Monday note, analysts at Keyrock said Bitcoin remains tightly correlated with risk assets.

“Our Take: Bitcoin continues to trade as a high-beta extension of tech, struggling to decouple during growth-led drawdowns,” Keyrock wrote. They added:

As for the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, it still remains in “extreme fear” territory, where it’s been for most of the past month.

Big Movers and Liquidations

Looking at the top-100 assets by market cap, Cosmos (ATOM) led gains on the day, up just 2.4%, followed by Bittensor (TAO), which rose 1%.

On the downside, Rain (RAIN) slid over 8%, while Dogecoin was today’s second biggest loser among large-caps after its recent outperformance.

According to CoinGlass data, total liquidations of $232 million over the past 24 hours, with long positions accounting for roughly $159 million. Bitcoin and Ethereum liquidations were nearly even, with $105 million and $90 million, respectively.

ETFs and Macro Conditions

Flows into U.S. spot crypto exchange-traded funds remained negative on a weekly basis, despite a net positive day on Friday.

According to SoSoValue data, last week, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of nearly $360 million, similar to the previous week’s total, bringing total net assets at $87 billion by Feb. 13.

Spot Ethereum ETFs also posted weekly outflows of $161.2 million, with total net assets of $11.7 billion.

On the macro front, revised labor data reinforced caution. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed on Friday, Feb. 13, that employers added just 181,000 jobs in 2025. That is far below the previously estimated 584,000 and the 1.46 million added in 2024.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday in an interview for CNBC that Congress should advance the CLARITY Act to set federal rules for digital assets, calling it a source of “great comfort” for markets, while cautioning that bipartisan support could weaken later this year.