Cryptocurrency Market Recap: From April 5–12

The cryptocurrency market had quite an eventful week from April 5–12. While the market was still affected by the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China

The cryptocurrency market had quite an eventful week from April 5–12. While the market was still affected by the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, several key developments happened over the week that are set to impact the market moving forward.

On Monday we saw the escalation of the trade war between the two most powerful economies in the world. On this date, China announced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. of 34%, sending stock markets across the globe crashing, including the Hang Seng Index and CSI300 experiencing the biggest daily drop since 2008.

The move came in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on 250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25% to 34% and widening the net to include another 300 billion in goods.

The crypto market meanwhile saw the launch of the first-ever leveraged XRP ETF, Teucrium 2x Long Daily XRP ETF (XXRP), allowing traditional investors to gain leveraged exposure to the world’s second-largest altcoin by market capitalization.

After days of hinting at a broader trade deal with China, President Donald Trump announced that he would be postponing tariffs on other nations (except China) and surcharges on U.S. companies that produce goods abroad. The president also said that he hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming G20 summit in Japan.

The move comes after months of tension between the two economic superpowers, which began when President Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. China responded with tariffs on U.S. goods, escalating the dispute.

The tariffs were part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to renegotiate trade deals that it said were unfair to the United States. The administration also imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials and entities over human rights abuses.

On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury yields surged to historic levels, with 30-year bonds experiencing their largest weekly climb in four decades. The 10-year yield hit 3.85%, approaching last year’s peaks, as investors accelerated a bond sell-off amid mounting inflation concerns and disruptions in global trade flows.

The market would get some reprieve as President Trump announced a postponement of tariffs on other nations (except China). On the same date, Paul Atkins was appointed the new Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, taking Gary Gensler’s place and replacing Acting Chair Mark Uyeda.

Market confidence briefly improved on Thursday as the most recent CPI report showed inflation numbers that were lower than anticipated. As investors conjectured that the Federal Reserve could lean toward rate cuts in the upcoming FOMC meeting, Bitcoin initially responded favorably to the news.

This week’s Jobless Claims also revealed better-than-expected numbers, showing that around 226,000 individuals applied for unemployment benefits last week, compared to expectations of 230,000 and a previous week’s figure of 216,000.

On Friday, Ripple and the SEC took a significant step toward resolving their long-standing legal battle by filing a joint motion to stay the appeals of a judge’s ruling that largely favored the SEC. This move follows the appointment of SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, signaling a potential shift in regulatory stance.

The move comes after a federal judge ruled largely in favor of the SEC in April, upholding the agency’s classification of XRP as a security and overturning a ruling on institutional sales. However, Judge Charles Engelmann granted an appeal on a statute of limitations claim regarding an administrative law judge’s 2020 ruling.

The SEC had argued that its classification of XRP was not arbitrary or capricious, and the judge agreed, stating that the SEC sufficiently explained its reasoning for determining that XRP met the Howey Test, a legal standard used to define securities.

The SEC’s case focused on the 2013 initial coin offering (ICO) of XRP, with the agency claiming that Ripple sold the cryptocurrency to raise capital for its business ventures.

The case has significant implications for the broader cryptocurrency industry, as it could set precedents for the regulation of other digital assets.

Donald Trump has signed the first-ever crypto-focused bill into law, overturning an IRS rule that required tax reporting for validators and members of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

The measure, known as an "economic impact statement," was part of a broader bill to extend government funding and avert a shutdown.

The move comes after months of lobbying by cryptocurrency groups, who argued that the rule would be a major setback for the industry.

The IRS rule, which was introduced last year, stated that cryptocurrency brokers, validators, and DeFi protocol members would be required to report the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of their clients to the agency.

The rule also said that brokers would be required to file an annual return with the IRS, reporting the total value of cryptocurrency