Crypto markets extended losses on Tuesday, with prices sliding sharply as a broader sell-off in technology stocks and financials unfolded and investors moved deeper into a risk-off posture.

The renewed downturn came amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and lingering concerns around institutional flows and macroeconomic headwinds.

Bitcoin fell about 5% to below $75,000 in early US afternoon trading, hovering only a few hundred dollars above its low from last weekend.

Ethereum underperformed the broader market, dropping roughly 6.5% to trade near $2,200.

Other major tokens also came under pressure, with Solana slipping below the $100 mark, down around 5.5% on the day.

The latest leg lower followed a failed attempt by Bitcoin to sustain a brief relief rally above $80,000 earlier in the week.

Market participants cited continued exchange-traded fund outflows and a strengthening US dollar as key factors weighing on sentiment, even as risk assets broadly retreated.

Risk aversion was further exacerbated by developments in the Middle East.

The US military said on Tuesday that it shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, an incident first reported by Reuters.

According to the U.S. military, the Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier “with unclear intent” and was downed by an F-35 fighter jet.

“An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defence and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command.

He added that no American service members were harmed and no US equipment was damaged.

The incident occurred as diplomats were seeking to arrange nuclear talks between Iran and the United States.

US President Donald Trump warned that with US warships heading toward Iran, “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.

The escalation added to unease across global markets, compounding pressure on already fragile crypto sentiment.

Beyond Bitcoin and Ether, losses spread across the altcoin complex. XRP fell about 4.6% to $1.56, while Cardano and Dogecoin declined 3.6% and 3.1% respectively, with Dogecoin hovering near $0.1049.

Traders noted that technical indicators across several large-cap tokens are flashing deeply oversold signals, though few were willing to call a near-term bottom given the prevailing macro backdrop.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bitcoin had briefly stabilised around $78,000 after gaining about 2.3% the previous day, following last week’s sharp correction.

That modest recovery was supported by signs of institutional demand, including fresh inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds and accumulation by Strategy.

However, analysts cautioned that the longer-term trend remains bearish despite intermittent rebounds.

Institutional flows offered some support at the start of the week.

Data from SoSoValue showed that US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $561.89 million on Monday, snapping a streak of outflows and marking the largest single-day intake since mid-January.

The post BTC slips below $75K, XRP down 5%: why the crypto market is crashing appeared first on Invezz

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