Bitcoin Senses Risk As Trump Balks At Europe With Major Tariffs

[Ben Graham]

According to market reports, US President Donald Trump announced a punitive tariff plan aimed at several European allies. The move sent a clear warning to traders and policy makers alike.

Stocks and crypto fell as investors shifted to assets they see as safer. Gold climbed, and some currencies strengthened as a reaction to the risk.

Markets Feel The Shift

Trading floors showed quick reactions. Bitcoin slipped by about 3% and traded in the low-$90,000 range for a time, while equity futures weakened. Safe havens were bought up. Precious metals recorded gains.

Based on reports from market outlets, liquidations hit crypto platforms hard, with roughly $750 million to $875 million of leveraged long positions closed out in the first wave of selling. That added extra downward pressure on prices and raised volatility for hours after the announcement.

Tariff Timetable And Targets

Trump said an extra 10% tariff would start on February 1st, 2026 for goods from eight countries that opposed his Greenland stance, with the level set to rise to 25% by June if talks do not move forward.

The affected nations include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the UK.

Governments in Europe reacted with firm language and warned of counters. Officials in Brussels hinted at possible measures that could hurt US exporters if tensions deepen. Trade policy is now back in the spotlight and crossing multiple political lines.

We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us.

If Greenland is vulnerable to malign influences, then have another look at Diego Garcia. https://t.co/z0r0IUlD6I

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 17, 2026

How This Played Out In Crypto

Crypto traders saw the headlines and reacted quickly. Positions that had been built with margin were trimmed or forced closed. Some funds favored reducing exposure to volatile tokens, while others bought the dip on the theory that shocks like this are temporary.

Over short stretches, Bitcoin behaved more like a risk asset, moving with stocks rather than acting as an independent store of value.

Over longer stretches, some analysts argue that policy shocks which raise inflationary expectations could boost demand for scarce assets, though that view depends on many economic moves that may follow.

What Traders Are Doing

Reports say market makers tightened spreads and liquidity pools thinned during the worst of the volatility. Large orders were matched more slowly and price swings widened.

Some institutional desks paused trading for a few moments to reassess risk models, while retail traders watched charts and reacted to alerts.

A few hedge desks took the chance to rebalance toward commodity exposure. Others focused on scenario planning, mapping out how retaliatory tariffs or sanctions might affect specific sectors.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView