Market moves
Bitcoin slipped further on Monday, adding to a streak of weekly declines that has stretched to four straight weeks. After touching as high as $70,000 over the weekend, the world's largest cryptocurrency was trading down 2.7% at $68,409.70 by 00:58 ET (05:58 GMT).
Analysts and traders have pointed to growing unease over the path of interest rates as a key factor prompting investors to pare back exposure to higher-risk, speculative assets. That caution has been visible across major digital tokens, which largely moved lower in tandem with Bitcoin on Monday.
Corporate exposure and solvency assertions
Strategy Inc (NASDAQ:MSTR) - the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin - addressed concerns about its ability to meet debt obligations amid the drawdown. In a social media post, the company said it could "withstand a drawdown in $BTC price to $8K and still have sufficient assets to fully cover our debt." Strategy holds 714,644 Bitcoin, purchases it has financed through a combination of new capital issuances and long-term debt.
The company, led by Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor, has been observed adding to its holdings in recent weeks even as prices have trended lower. Questions have circulated about whether sustained losses could force a sale of assets to satisfy debt requirements; those concerns have been largely dismissed by Saylor and reiterated in Strategy's statement.
Financial results have underscored the exposure of the balance sheet to market swings. Strategy recorded a $12.4 billion loss in the December quarter, compared with a $670.8 million loss in the same period in 2024. Outside its vast Bitcoin holdings, the company generates limited revenue.
Altcoins and market breadth
Monday's session saw broad-based declines across the crypto complex. Ether fell 6.1% to $1,958.63, while XRP dropped 7.7% to $1.4575. BNB lost roughly 4%, with Solana and Cardano declining 5.4% and 6.2%, respectively. Meme tokens were hit hard as well; Dogecoin posted an 11.4% decline, and $TRUMP fell 2.4%.
Overall sentiment toward cryptocurrencies has remained weak since October, which has been reflected in sharp slowdowns in both retail and institutional inflows. Separately, a notable rise in gold prices amid speculative interest in precious metals has drawn some investor attention away from Bitcoin and other digital assets.
Outlook and context
The market's current posture reflects a confluence of cautious positioning around interest-rate expectations and diminished speculative demand. Bitcoin has lost approximately half of its value since an October peak around $126,000, and that decline has been a central feature of the broader pullback in risk assets. Market participants continue to watch liquidity, corporate balance-sheet resilience and flows as indicators of near-term price pressure.