çrypto Trader Queen-66

Bitcoin slid to the $85,000 level on December 15, extending its recent decline as global macro risks, leverage unwinding, and thin liquidity collided. The drop erased more than $100 billion from the total crypto market cap in just days, raising questions about whether the sell-off has finished.While no single catalyst caused the move, five overlapping forces pushed Bitcoin lower and could keep pressure on prices in the near term.Bank of Japan Rate Hike Fears Triggered Global De-RiskingThe biggest macro driver came from Japan. Markets moved ahead of a widely expected Bank of Japan rate hike later this week, which would take Japanese policy rates to levels unseen in decades. Even a modest hike matters because Japan has long fueled global risk markets through the yen carry trade.For years, investors borrowed cheap yen to buy higher-risk assets such as equities and crypto. As Japanese rates rise, that trade unwinds. Investors sell risk assets to repay yen liabilities.Bitcoin has reacted sharply to previous BOJ hikes. In the last three instances, BTC fell between 20% and 30% in the weeks that followed. Traders began pricing in that historical pattern before the decision, pushing Bitcoin lower in advance.US Economic Data Reintroduces Policy UncertaintyAt the same time, traders pulled back risk ahead of a dense slate of US macro data, including inflation and labor market figures.The Federal Reserve recently cut rates, but officials signaled caution about the pace of future easing. That uncertainty matters for Bitcoin, which has increasingly traded as a liquidity-sensitive macro asset rather than a standalone hedge.With inflation still above target and jobs data expected to weaken, markets struggled to price the Fed’s next move. That hesitation reduced speculative demand and encouraged short-term traders to step aside.As a result, Bitcoin lost momentum just as it approached key is unlikely to fade quickly.#BTC☀️ #CPIWatch #BTCVSGOLD $BTC