Bitcoin Price Crashes Below $98,000: Here’s Why

The Bitcoin (BTC) price has plunged below $98,000, retracing from $105,000 as low as $97,750 today, marking a sudden decline of as much as -6.8%. The rapid sell-off coincides with heightened volatility across both crypto and traditional markets, with multiple factors contributing to BTC’s downward spiral.

Why Is Bitcoin Down Today?

#1 DeepSeek’s Surprise Impact On Tech Markets

The primary driver behind the broader risk-off sentiment appears to be the emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) platform whose swift rise and cost-effectiveness have rattled US tech giants. Renowned market commentary outlet The Kobeissi Letter posted via X:

“Nasdaq 100 futures are now down -330 POINTS since the market opened just hours ago as DeepSeek takes #1 on the App Store. This is how you know DeepSeek has become a major threat to US large cap tech. The stock market does not lie.”

DeepSeek reportedly competes with ChatGPT yet was developed at a fraction of the cost, using less advanced hardware. Benchmark tests indicate that DeepSeek is outperforming ChatGPT in categories such as AIME, MATH-500, and GPQA, igniting concerns that the dominance of US-based AI firms could be at risk.

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The Kobeissi Letter added:“OpenAI … was valued at ~$157 BILLION in October 2024 … has ~22 TIMES more employees than DeepSeek. This is why markets have been blindsided.”

Traders fear that if investors pull capital out of overextended AI stocks, a broader tech sell-off could ensue. This has significant implications for the Bitcoin and crypto market as well because of its correlation. “Crypto is front running as markets are closed & it’s a higher risk-beta asset class,”crypto analyst Miles Deutscher noted via X.

However, he sees a silver lining for Bitcoin and crypto once the AI stock boom subsides: “If DeepSeek is the knife that could (momentarily) burst the AI stock bubble, then this could actually be bullish for crypto, as liquidity rotates back. AI stocks sucked up a lot of speculative capital that previously would’ve flowed into BTC/crypto.”

#2 Pre-FOMC De-Risking

Another contributor to the current downswing is the commonly observed pre-FOMC market de-risking. Historically, investors recalibrate their portfolios ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meetings, scheduled for January 28–29, 2025. Although consensus indicates that interest rates may remain unchanged, riskier assets like Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies often face sell-pressure in the lead-up to such announcements.

Deutscher commented:“Pre-FOMC de-risking (this is very normal, especially in an environment where we’re extremely sensitive to rates/U.S. dollar/liquidity).”

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Deutscher also speculated on whether Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell might adopt a softer stance, given the recent transition of the US presidency: “So… if stocks are already in panic mode, is Jerome Powell really going to come out super hawkish? Right as Trump has just entered office? Idk… My prediction is that the pre-FOMC sell-off marks the local bottom.”

#3 Lack Of New Price Catalyst After Trump’s Executive Order

Market participants also cite a perceived vacuum of fresh bullish news following last week’s first-ever crypto executive order by President Donald Trump. Although the order initially propelled crypto optimism, the absence of a new catalyst left traders wanting more. Deutscher referred to this as the “lack of short-term ‘north star’ after Trump’s inauguration.”

#4 Long Liquidations Exacerbating The Move

According to Coinglass data, a flurry of long liquidations has magnified the downward price action. 313,683 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours. Total crypto liquidations hit $853.92 million, with $795.5 million in longs.

The largest single liquidation order occurred on HTX for BTC-USDT valued at $98.46 million. On the Bitcoin market alone, $250 million worth of long positions were liquidated. The surge in liquidations amplified BTC’s fall, triggering more traders to unwind positions. Analysts view these forced liquidations as both a cause and a symptom of heightened volatility.

At press time, BTC traded at $98,983.

Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TadingView.com