Bitcoin fell as much as 5% on Tuesday evening, dropping below $75,000 to its lowest level since Aug. 21, before recovering slightly to around $75,600 — well below Monday's close and capping a recent rally that had pushed the asset above $82,000 in early September.
The sell-off came as rising yields on US Treasuries and a setback in Washington's cryptocurrency regulatory efforts converged. The yield on 10-year US bonds climbed to their highest level since 2007, bolstering the appeal of safe-haven fixed-income assets and dimming interest in speculative holdings like Bitcoin.
In an equally negative signal for the industry, a draft bill aimed at establishing comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation was defeated in the US Senate on Tuesday afternoon. The proposed law would have designated the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as the primary regulator for digital-asset markets, a move most industry companies had welcomed as a way to clarify rules and end ongoing legal uncertainty.
Over the past year, Bitcoin has shed roughly 40% of its value from its all-time high of more than $126,000 set in October 2025. Year to date, the asset is down about 13%, following a decline of roughly 6% in the prior calendar year. Bloomberg data indicate this marks only the fourth loss year in Bitcoin's history since its launch in 2009.
Longer-term performance remains robust. Bitcoin has climbed nearly 60% over the past five years and more than 12,000% since September 2016, according to the source.
The total market capitalization of Bitcoin stands at $1.5 trillion, continuing to dominate the broader crypto market. The aggregate value of all digital currencies was estimated at about $2.5 trillion on CoinMarketCap, with Ethereum valued at roughly $290 billion and Tether at around $180 billion.
