On February 8, 2026, the United States and India agreed on an interim trade framework that reduces U.S. tariffs on Indian exports from punitive levels of up to 50 per cent down to 18 per cent. In exchange, India will scale back or remove duties on a broad set of U.S. industrial and agricultural products, opening new opportunities but also drawing criticism from Indian farmer groups and opposition parties. The arrangement, shaped in part by New Delhi's decision to halt Russian oil imports, is framed by both governments as a step toward a more comprehensive trade pact.

On February 06, 2026, U.S. technology stocks and bitcoin staged a sharp rebound after three straight sessions of heavy selling. The Nasdaq Composite rose 2.2 percent, trimming its weekly decline to 1.8 percent, while bitcoin gained about 12 percent to trade above $70,000 as broader equity indices also advanced. Analysts indicated the move reflected a mix of bargain hunting and tentative sector rotation from high-priced AI names into cyclicals and value stocks.

On 8 February 2026, the crypto market's total capitalization climbed 2.42% to $2.39 trillion, while sentiment remained deeply negative with the Fear & Greed Index at 8. Bitcoin changed hands near $70,214 after a 3.83% daily gain but was still down 10.54% over the week, and Ethereum rose 4.69% to $2,092 alongside broader large-cap advances. Derivatives markets stayed stressed, with $297.68 million in liquidations in 24 hours and short positions making up $217.45 million of that total.

Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000 after a sharp sell-off, with its market cap returning to $1.4 trillion and dominance near 57% on CG. BNB moved ahead of XRP for the fourth-largest spot as ETH traded above $2,100 and SOL approached $90. HYPE lagged, sliding almost 5% to under $32.

On February 8 2026, market data showed Bitcoin sliding toward $60,000, dragging the Crypto Fear & Greed Index down into an extreme fear zone with readings as low as 7–11 out of 100. Over the past week, Google Trends recorded a jump in "crypto capitulation" searches from 11 to 58, a 427% increase, while on-chain and social metrics from analytics firms pointed to elevated talk of capitulation, liquidations and a possible market bottom.

On 8 February 2026, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its no-action framework to confirm that stablecoins issued by federally chartered national trust banks can be used as collateral in regulated derivatives markets. The move aligns collateral rules with the GENIUS Act’s federal stablecoin framework and is already supporting greater institutional use of compliant, bank-issued digital assets.

Bullish CEO Tom Farley said in a CNBC interview that the crypto sector is set for large‑scale consolidation, with bigger players acquiring smaller projects. He argued the recent market slide has reset expectations, noting Bitcoin is nearly 45% below its October all‑time high and around $69,405 at publication. Farley added many firms will need to merge and scale.

President Donald Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair has lifted market-implied odds of a March interest rate cut to about 23%, up from roughly 18.4% just days earlier. Traders are largely pricing in a 25-basis-point cut, while Polymarket participants assign a 27% chance of two cuts in 2026 and crypto analysts say Bitcoin's next major rally could emerge even if the asset climbs under persistently high Fed rates.