Futures hold steady while spot Bitcoin trading volume tumbles

Spot volumes plunge more than 26% as Bitcoin traders react to Trump's strategic reserve plan and U.S.-China tensions.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

Bitcoin's recent tumultuous ride saw a dramatic drop in both spot and futures trading volumes, following an earlier spell of extreme volatility. As the markets adjusted to a mix of political revelations and macroeconomic pressures, trading habits highlighted a difference in sensitivity between the spot market, driven largely by retail investors, and the derivatives market, which showed greater stability. But amidst the whipsaw of numbers and trends, a pivotal weekend event stirred waves: President Trump's strategic Bitcoin reserve plan. What unexpected strategy left the market less than thrilled, and how did it reverberate through the crypto markets?