Crypto News and Market Trends | Bitpanda Weekly Wrap

A week of mixed signals

The crypto market ended last week on a cautious note after the pullback on March 21, which saw total market capitalisation drop by around 2.5% to $2,75 trillion. The downturn followed President Trump’s speech at the Digital Asset Summit, which offered little in terms of new crypto policy, triggering profit-taking and market caution.

By March 24, momentum started to pick up again. Ethereum touched a weekly high of €1,946, while Bitcoin bounced from a low of €77,100 to briefly trade above €82,100 before stabilising near €80,000.

That recovery lost some steam today, with Bitcoin slipping to around €78,200 and Ethereum dropping back to €1,749. Still, sentiment has slightly improved – the Fear and Greed Index has moved up to 33.

TL;DR: After a shaky start following Trump's policy-light speech, crypto prices recovered mid-week but lost momentum by March 28. Bitcoin and Ethereum dipped slightly, while sentiment has ticked up a bit.

Key price movements

• BTC: +1,93%, €78,233.11 
• ETH: -2,48%, €1,749.67 
• S&P 500: +1,24%
• EURO STOXX 50: -0,85%

Prices as of 3 pm, 28 March 2025

Though there’s been geopolitical uncertainty and more trade war news, retail investors remained skittish this week. With the end of the first quarter of 2025 fast approaching, we’re on track for the S&P 500’s worst quarter since 2023.

Despite the market noise, Bitcoin has held steady in the EUR 78k-82k range. XRP wasn’t as composed this week, slipping under pressure, while DOGE (the coin) surged higher.

However, the real market mover this week is going to be the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data released earlier today. PCE, for those not quite as obsessed with market indicators as we are, is the Fed’s go-to inflation gauge. Last year, it surprised to the downside, and the markets loved it. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq tacked on 0.8%, all in a single session.

What about this year? The PCE came in hotter than expected, rising 0.3% in February and signalling sticky inflation. Hopes for near-term rate cuts faded quickly. Equity markets pulled back slightly, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipping as investors reassess how the Fed might respond in the months ahead.

TL;DR: Between geopolitical chest-thumping and economic tea leaves, investors are navigating a tricky stretch. Bitcoin’s resilience shows its growing maturity. But the broader market still wants to know what’s happening in the US economy - and so this week, all focus is on Friday’s PCE announcement.

Explore the latest crypto prices and market trends.

Tariff tantrums and market tremors

President Trump threw a(nother) wrench into global trade this week by slapping a 25% tariff on automotive imports, reigniting economic uncertainty and causing markets to stall. Estimates are that these could add $10,000 to car prices for US buyers.

Tariffs aren’t just about cars and copper. They are a key part of the US’ economic strategy at the moment, and the response from those impacted hasn’t been to just accept them. The EU, Canada, China and Mexico have all proposed counter tariffs and, in a midnight tweet on Thursday, the President warned:

“If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both…”

Bonds and gold, the classic safe havens, rallied…because nothing says “economic uncertainty” like a midnight tweet on trade war escalations. The key date to watch next week is April 2 (affectionately nicknamed ‘Liberation Day’), when many of the US’ proposed tariffs will come into effect (unless they are delayed again).

TL;DR: Investors don’t like uncertainty, and midnight tweets from the President of the world’s largest economy about trade wars create uncertainty.

Explore the latest commodity prices and trends.

Stablecoins - the world’s new(ish) favourite way to move capital

Love them or hate them, stablecoins have become the ‘must have’ of the financial world for many institutions. As our own survey found this week, people want to invest in crypto. For major financial institutions, stablecoins offer a way to meet this demand without needing to develop a full crypto offer.

The timing isn’t random. With the market cap of all stablecoins hitting $230 billion this month and $27.6 trillion worth of transfers made last year (more than Mastercard and Visa combined), they are big business. It isn’t all about the dollar either - Societe Generale Forge has already launched EURCV and Deutsche Bank has plans to launch its own.

The race is on, and the opportunity presented by fast, low-cost, secure global money transfers is going to be hotly contested.

TL;DR: Stablecoins offer major innovation in the payments space, and there is going to be a lot of competition for market share.

Explore the latest stablecoin prices and trends.

Disclaimer

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