Bitcoin Down 2.5% as China Slaps Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S., Probes Google

Bitcoin (BTC) and Nasdaq futures faced renewed selling pressure during Asia trading hours on Tuesday as China imposed retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

China also announced an antitrust probe into Google, while moving clothing firm PVH Corp and biotechnology firm Illumina to the list of unreliable entities.

Beijing imposed a 15% duty on U.S. coal and LNG and a 10% tax on crude oil, agricultural machinery, pickup trucks and large-engine cars. The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 10% tariffs on China came into effect.

On Monday, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada, offering a relief to BTC. The cryptocurrency’s price staged a remarkable recovery from nearly $92,000 to over $102,000 in hopes that the trade war would be short-lived.

China’s fresh action, however, has dented the recovery, sending BTC down to $98,500 at press time. The Nasdaq futures are down 0.6% with the dollar index drawing safe haven bids.