Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Surge as Supreme Court Puts Trump Tariff Ruling on Ice
Digital assets catch a bullish tailwind from Washington's latest legal gridlock.
Judicial Pause, Market Rally
A delayed Supreme Court decision on a contentious Trump-era tariff case sent immediate ripples through crypto markets. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP all posted notable gains within hours of the news breaking. The ruling's postponement is being interpreted by traders as a temporary relief from potential regulatory overreach—or at least a signal that the old financial guard's grip isn't as tight as feared.
The Correlation Conundrum
It's the classic crypto dance: traditional finance sneezes, and digital assets catch a cold—or in this case, a boost. The price action underscores the market's hypersensitivity to U.S. policy uncertainty. Every legal delay or administrative shuffle gets priced in, for better or worse. Some analysts call it maturity; others see it as proof crypto still watches the Fed more closely than its own whitepapers.
Not a Safe Haven, But a Bet
Let's be clear—this isn't a flight to safety. It's a calculated risk-on move. Investors aren't hiding in crypto; they're leveraging it as a high-beta play on institutional inertia. When the gears of traditional governance grind slowly, capital looks for frictionless exits. Digital markets, operating 24/7, provide just that.
One cynical take? The same Wall Street veterans who once called Bitcoin a fraud now track Supreme Court dockets to time their entries. Plus ça change. The closer crypto gets to the mainstream, the more it mirrors its old-world counterpart's bad habits—just with better technology and worse memes.
Ultimately, today's pump is less about tariffs and more about perception. Every institutional delay reinforces the narrative of decentralized resilience. The market's message is blunt: while lawyers argue, code executes.
Bitcoin, ethereum and XRP prices moved higher on Thursday after the US Supreme Court delayed an important decision on tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, easing near-term macro uncertainty.
Bitcoin jumped sharply in a short period, climbing more than $2,000 in under an hour and briefly trading near $92,000. Ethereum followed with steady gains near $3,120, while XRP rose above $2.10, extending its recent outperformance among major tokens.
Market Turns Green
The broader crypto market also moved into positive territory. Total market capitalization rose to about $3.13 trillion, up more than 1% on the day. Several large-cap tokens, including BNB and Solana, also posted gains, while market sentiment remained neutral based on widely followed indicators.
The sudden MOVE higher triggered forced liquidations in derivatives markets. Data showed roughly $39 million worth of short positions were wiped out as prices climbed quickly.
Tariff Decision Put on Hold
The rally came after the Supreme Court said it would not issue a ruling on January 9 in a closely watched legal challenge to global tariffs imposed by TRUMP using emergency powers. The delay leaves the future of those tariffs uncertain for now.
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said senior officials had discussed backup legal options in case the court eventually blocks the tariffs. In an interview with CNBC, he added that the administration could rely on other laws to keep similar trade measures in place if needed.
“There are a lot of other legal authorities that can reproduce the deals that we’ve made with other countries, and can do so basically immediately. And so our expectation is that we’re going to win, and if we don’t win, then we know that we’ve got other tools that we could use that get us to the same place,” he said.
