The cryptocurrency market remains cautious Tuesday as investors await April 2nd

The cryptocurrency market remains cautious Tuesday as investors await April 2nd, “Liberation Day,” as the Trump administration termed it when they impose new tariffs on the “Dirty 15” nations.

The cryptocurrency market showed signs of caution on Tuesday as investors await April 2nd, “Liberation Day,” when the Trump administration will impose new tariffs on the “Dirty 15” nations.

While market leaders Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) showed only modest gains over the past day, several altcoins were the true market movers.

According to CoinMarketCap data, over the past 24 hours, Walrus (WAL) gained 22%, EOS climbed 15.19%, Curve Finance (CRV) rose 18.18%, and AI16Z’s price increased 16.75%.

Additionally, certain small-cap tokens delivered substantial gains, such as RFC (+293%) and DOGINME (+58.9%), according to CryptoRank. This data highlighted ongoing speculative momentum in specific market segments despite broader caution.

According to reports from the WTI derivative market, traders are pricing in a 70% probability that the Trump administration will announce new tariffs on the “Dirty 15” nations by April 2nd. These tariffs are expected to impact goods valued at $2.4 trillion.

Among the 15 nations, Japan is expected to face tariffs of up to 60% on its vehicles, while France’s wine could be subject to tariffs as high as 50%.

The cryptocurrency market is closely watching these developments as they could significantly impact global trade flows and market sentiment.

Institutions Continue Bitcoin Accumulation

Despite near-term market uncertainty, institutional players continue to demonstrate confidence in Bitcoin.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) added another 22,048 BTC to its corporate treasury, spending $1.92 billion for this latest batch at an average price of $86,900 per BTC.

Stablecoin issuer Tether also acquired 8,888 BTC (worth ~$735M at the time) during the first quarter of 2025.

Bitcoin Technical Levels to Watch

Bitcoin’s current price action suggests consolidation. A critical near-term resistance level sits at $84,824, aligning with the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a key short-term trend indicator.

Chart analysis also indicates BTC might be in a potential accumulation phase above a key support level currently identified near $76,180.

If BTC fails to reclaim the 20-day EMA soon, it could retest lower support levels. Prominent technical analyst Ali Martinez noted that Bitcoin has an “air gap” below $80,000, meaning very little established technical support exists until the $70,000 price area.

Altcoins Show Mixed Signals

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has dropped to 24, indicating significant “Fear” among market participants. Simultaneously, Bitcoin’s market dominance (BTC.D) remains above 61%, generally suppressing conditions needed for a sustainable, broad altcoin market rally.

The chart tracking the total market cap of altcoins excluding Bitcoin (often called TOTAL2) highlights a declining Relative Strength Index (RSI), a commonly used momentum indicator. The RSI currently hovers around 40.40.

This RSI level suggests altcoins may remain in a neutral-to-bearish short-term posture. However, a bounce from these RSI levels could signal renewed upward momentum for altcoins. If the RSI moves back above the 50 level, the altcoin market could potentially see a significant rally.

Analysis using Fibonacci retracement levels further indicates key areas to watch. If the total altcoin market cap holds support above the 1.0 Fib level (around $923 billion), a potential breakout could follow.

The next major resistance target based on this analysis aligns with the 1.618 Fib extension level (around $1.16 trillion). However, if the broader market weakens further, lower Fibonacci support levels at the 2.618 ($630B), 3.618 ($450B), and 4.236 ($380B) extensions could come into play.