Bitcoin hovers near $115,000 as altcoins retreat; Grayscale launches first multi-token U.S. ETF amid geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Crypto markets edged lower on Friday, Sept. 19, amid geopolitical uncertainty following President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bitcoin (BTC) hovered near $115,000 after sliding 1.4% over the past 24 hours, while Ethereum (ETH) fell almost 3% to $4,459.
BTC ChartLosses were steeper among major altcoins, with XRP down 3.4% to $3.01 and Solana (SOL) down 4.3% at $237. This selloff comes after SOL briefly reclaimed $250 for the first time since January, per CoinGecko.
Overall, the total crypto market capitalization dropped by 2% over the past day, reaching $4.14 trillion, with Bitcoin dominance at 55.9% and Ethereum at 13.1%.
Liquidations and ETFs
In the past 24 hours, nearly $321 million in crypto positions were liquidated, Coinglass data shows, with longs accounting for over $259 million and shorts making up about $64 million.
Ethereum led the way with nearly $89 million in liquidations, followed by altcoins at nearly $42 million, while Bitcoin accounted for more than $37 million.
On Sept. 18, spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a rebound with more than $163 million in inflows after posting outflows the previous day, while spot Ethereum ETFs attracted over $213 million, according to SoSoValue.
In other ETF news, Grayscale Investments launched the first multi-token crypto ETF in the U.S. earlier today. The fund is trading on the NYSE under the ticker GDLC and bundles Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Cardano.
The launch follows SEC approval and reflects growing demand among institutional and retail investors for broader crypto investment options.
“DOGE, XRP, SOL, SUI, APT and others are now ushering in the next wave of these as investors look for opportunities and applications outside of BTC and ETH,” said Paul Howard from Wincent. “For institutions that cannot own spot directly, these vehicles provide a wrapper and move liquidity into the ecosystem.”
Macro Uncertainty
Friday’s retreat comes as Trump publicly criticized Putin and urged allies to stop buying Russian oil, fueling market volatility.
On Thursday, Trump said Putin had “really let me down” and added, “very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Putin is going to drop out… he’s going to have no choice, he’s going to drop out of that war.”
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter-point to support a slowing U.S. economy, citing weaker job growth, persistent inflation, and the impact of tariffs.
However, some analysts said the decision might reflect political pressure and could have limited effect, adding uncertainty to markets. This comes as a recent Fox News poll shows that 52% of voters believe the president is making the economy worse.
Source: https://thedefiant.io/news/markets/crypto-markets-slip-as-geopolitical-concerns-resurface
