What happened in crypto today? Market crash, U.S. Equities Streams, and more

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-01-21Last updated on 2026-01-21

Abstract

Crypto markets experienced a significant downturn amid global tensions and new policy concerns. Bitcoin fell below $90K, and Ethereum dropped under $3K, with other major altcoins like Solana and XRP also declining. The sell-off was partly triggered by U.S. tariff threats, which raised fears of trade-driven inflation. In product news, Chainlink launched its 24/5 U.S. Equities Streams, providing real-time stock and ETF pricing on over 40 blockchains. This aims to support DeFi applications like perpetuals and prediction markets by offering continuous, verified data outside traditional trading hours. Several protocols, including BitMEX and ApeX, have already integrated the solution. Additionally, Solana Mobile announced an SRK token airdrop for users of its Seeker device.

Crypto had an eventful day, with prices pulling back during global tensions and many announcements being made. Here’s the full rundown.

Chainlink pushed U.S. stocks on-chain!

Chainlink [LINK] has rolled out 24/5 US Equities Streams, an upgrade to its Data Streams product. It brings real-time pricing for US stocks and ETFs onto blockchains, even outside regular market hours!

This will open up access to the roughly $80 trillion US equities market for DeFi applications.

The new streams are live across more than 40 blockchains and are designed to support on-chain products such as equity perps, prediction markets, and other trading tools that need reliable price data at all times.

Until now, most on-chain equity feeds relied on a single price update during standard trading hours. Outside those hours, pricing blind spots increased risk.

Chainlink says its new equities streams solve this by converting market data into continuous, cryptographically verified feeds.

Several protocols, including BitMEX, ApeX, Orderly, and HelloTrade, have already integrated the product.

Tariff threats rattle the markets

Crypto markets turned defensive after tariff threats from the Trump administration added fuel to a wildfire. Bitcoin [BTC] slid below the $90K mark during Tuesday’s session and was trading near $89,100 at press time.

With a steady sequence of lower highs on the intraday chart, brief bounce attempts have failed to reclaim key levels.

Ethereum [ETH] followed a similar path, slipping under $3K and posting close to a 5% daily decline.

Selling pressure was rampant across the market. Solana [SOL] fell more than 2% on the day, while Ripple’s XRP [XRP] and Binance [BNB] both dropped over 2% and 4%, respectively.

The weakness came as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed that tariffs are a core policy tool, with the possibility of a 10% levy as early as February to assist the acquisition attempts of Greenland.

Markets took it as confirmation that trade-driven inflation risks are back in focus.

However, he later went on to downplay the bond market reaction following his statements.

Bessent argued that rising yields were driven by bond market annihilation in Japan and that the reaction cannot be isolated to the United States’ moves.

Solana Mobile rolls out SRK airdrop for Seeker users

Related Questions

QWhat new product did Chainlink roll out and what does it provide?

AChainlink rolled out 24/5 US Equities Streams, an upgrade to its Data Streams product. It provides real-time pricing for US stocks and ETFs on blockchains, even outside regular market hours.

QHow did the tariff threats from the Trump administration affect the crypto market?

AThe tariff threats caused crypto markets to turn defensive, with Bitcoin sliding below $90K and Ethereum falling under $3K. Selling pressure was rampant across the market, leading to declines in major cryptocurrencies like SOL, XRP, and BNB.

QWhich protocols have already integrated Chainlink's new equities streams?

ASeveral protocols, including BitMEX, ApeX, Orderly, and HelloTrade, have already integrated Chainlink's new equities streams product.

QWhat was the reason given by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the rising bond yields?

AScott Bessent argued that rising yields were driven by bond market annihilation in Japan and that the reaction cannot be isolated to the United States' moves, downplaying the impact of the tariff threats.

QWhat is the significance of Chainlink's new equities streams for the DeFi market?

AChainlink's new equities streams open up access to the roughly $80 trillion US equities market for DeFi applications by providing continuous, cryptographically verified price feeds for on-chain products like equity perps and prediction markets.

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