[Market Update] Bitcoin falls to just above $100,000... BNB drops 6%, overall market 'contracted'.

The cryptocurrency market continues to show weakness amid concerns over U.S. regional bank troubles and U.S.-China trade tensions. Bitcoin fell to as low as $103,000 during trading, hitting a 4-month low, while most top cryptocurrencies by market cap showed mixed performance.

As of 6:45 AM on the 18th, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $107,415, down 0.82% over the past 24 hours according to data from a cryptocurrency tracking platform. It had earlier dropped to around $103,500, marking its lowest level since June. The market remains generally subdued amid signs of worsening loan issues at U.S. regional banks, ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, and aftershocks from last week's large-scale liquidation event. The market saw a slight rebound after U.S. President Trump said he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ethereum (ETH) is trading at $3,880, up 0.19% from the previous day, but down about 25% from its recent high in August. Ripple (XRP) and Solana (SOL) managed to rebound slightly, rising 0.76% and 0.40% respectively, but overall upward momentum remains limited. Solana in particular is still down 3.99% on a weekly basis.

BNB plunged 6.14% over 24 hours to $1,088. This decline is attributed to profit-taking after recent gains, compounded by technical issues on a certain exchange. The exchange had previously experienced trading delays and system access errors during a major position liquidation on the 10th, fueling investor anxiety.

The overall cryptocurrency market has seen about $600 billion in market capitalization evaporate in the week since October 10th. At that time, China's announcement of tightened rare earth export controls and President Trump's mention of additional tariffs shocked the market, triggering large-scale liquidations centered on derivatives. Combined with technical issues on a major exchange, the market was exposed to short-term “panic” selling.

Market unease remains unresolved. According to digital asset analysis firm BRN, demand for put options has increased in the derivatives market, with the Bitcoin put-call ratio rising to 1.33. This indicates that investors are preparing for further declines, suggesting strengthened short-term hedging demand.

ETF fund flows have also deteriorated. In a single day, Bitcoin and Ethereum-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. saw net outflows totaling $593 million. This demonstrates a sharp contraction in investment sentiment across risky assets in general.