Crypto market cap tumbles to $2.93T as Bitcoin, Ether take a hit

Business Dec 16, 2025

The crypto market took a noticeable dip on Tuesday, with its total value dropping nearly 4% to $2.93 trillion as both Bitcoin and Ether slid sharply.

Why does this matter?

Bitcoin fell 4.6% to $85,507 and Ether dropped almost 7% to $2,904—triggering around 183,500 liquidations worth $592 million in just one day.
That means lots of traders got caught off guard, adding extra chaos to the market.

What's behind the drop?

It wasn't just Bitcoin and Ether—big altcoins like Solana and Dogecoin also lost over 9%.
Smaller investors tried buying the dip with $474 million in purchases, but whales sold off about $2.8 billion instead.
Analysts point to economic uncertainty in the US, delays in crypto regulation until 2026, and Bitcoin failing key price levels as reasons for this rough patch.