U.S. stock markets have seen a massive $11 trillion decline since February 19, with losses intensifying on April 4 due to concerns over President Donald Trump’s new tariff measures. That day alone, the market lost $3.25 trillion, surpassing the global cryptocurrency market’s total value of $2.68 trillion at the time. Among the major tech companies, Tesla led the downturn, dropping 10.42%, while Nvidia and Apple fell 7.36% and 7.29%, respectively, according to TradingView data.
The broad sell-off pushed the Nasdaq 100 down 6%, pushing it into bear market territory. The financial insights platform, The Kobeissi Letter, called April 4 the worst day for U.S. equities since March 2020, noting that recession odds now exceed 60%. Trump’s tariff policy announcement on April 2 was labeled “historic” by the platform, which warned that continued tariffs could make a recession inevitable. Trump’s executive order imposes a 10% baseline tariff on all imported goods and introduces reciprocal tariffs to address trade imbalances, targeting other countries’ tariffs on U.S. exports.
As traditional markets slump, Bitcoin has shown resilience, trading around $83,749 with only a 0.16% decline over the past week, according to CoinMarketCap. Some traders see Bitcoin’s stability as a hedge against economic volatility. Stock market commentator Dividend Hero admitted, “I’ve criticized Bitcoin before, but its stability amidst stock market collapse is intriguing.”
Bitcoin commentator Anthony Pompliano suggested that the Trump administration might be deliberately creating market turmoil to pressure Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. Pompliano believes this is an effort to avoid refinancing $7 trillion in upcoming U.S. debt obligations. Despite Trump’s calls for lower borrowing costs, the Fed recently maintained rates at 4.25% to 4.5% due to inflation concerns.
