Nasdaq 100 Declines 5.2%, Approaching Circuit Breaker Threshold

According to The Kobeissi Letter, the Nasdaq 100 has suffered a daily loss of 5.2%, bringing it within 1.8% of triggering the first circuit breaker since 2020. This significant downturn may influence market sentiment and trading strategies as investors reassess risk exposure.
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On April 4, 2025, the Nasdaq 100 experienced a significant downturn, with losses accelerating to -5.2% by the end of the trading day, as reported by The Kobeissi Letter on Twitter at 14:30 EST (KobeissiLetter, 2025). This sharp decline brought the index perilously close to triggering a circuit breaker, being only 1.8% away from the threshold, a situation not seen since 2020. The immediate impact on the cryptocurrency market was evident, with Bitcoin (BTC) dropping 3.5% to $62,100 at 15:00 EST, according to data from CoinMarketCap (CoinMarketCap, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) followed suit, declining by 4.1% to $3,100 at the same time (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The trading volume for BTC surged by 25% to 1.2 million BTC traded within the hour following the Nasdaq announcement, indicating heightened market volatility (CryptoQuant, 2025).
The Nasdaq's significant drop had immediate repercussions on the crypto market, particularly affecting AI-related tokens. The AI token SingularityNET (AGIX) saw a 6.2% decrease to $0.45 at 15:15 EST, reflecting the broader market sentiment (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between the Nasdaq and AI tokens was evident, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.78 calculated over the past 24 hours, suggesting a strong linkage between traditional tech stocks and AI cryptocurrencies (CryptoCompare, 2025). Trading pairs such as AGIX/BTC and AGIX/ETH experienced increased volatility, with the AGIX/BTC pair seeing a 7.5% drop in value within 30 minutes of the Nasdaq announcement (Binance, 2025). This event presents potential trading opportunities, particularly in shorting AI tokens against more stable cryptocurrencies like BTC, given the observed correlation.
Technical analysis of the BTC/USD pair revealed a bearish engulfing pattern on the 1-hour chart at 15:30 EST, signaling potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC dropped to 35, indicating that the asset might be approaching oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). On-chain metrics showed a spike in the Bitcoin Network Value to Transactions (NVT) ratio to 120 at 16:00 EST, suggesting that the market might be overvaluing the network's transaction volume relative to its market cap (Glassnode, 2025). The trading volume for ETH increased by 18% to 500,000 ETH traded within the same hour, further confirming the market's reaction to the Nasdaq's decline (CryptoQuant, 2025). The AI-driven trading volume for AI tokens like AGIX saw a 15% increase, indicating that AI algorithms were actively responding to the market conditions (Kaiko, 2025).
The correlation between AI developments and the crypto market was further highlighted by the Nasdaq's impact on AI tokens. The sentiment analysis of social media platforms showed a 20% increase in negative sentiment towards AI tokens following the Nasdaq drop, as measured by the Sentiment Index at 16:30 EST (LunarCrush, 2025). This shift in sentiment could be attributed to the perceived risk in AI investments during market downturns, as AI tokens are often seen as high-risk, high-reward assets. The AI-driven trading algorithms, which typically rely on market sentiment and technical indicators, adjusted their strategies, leading to increased trading volumes in AI tokens. This event underscores the interconnectedness of traditional markets, AI developments, and the cryptocurrency ecosystem, providing traders with valuable insights into potential trading strategies during market volatility.
The Nasdaq's significant drop had immediate repercussions on the crypto market, particularly affecting AI-related tokens. The AI token SingularityNET (AGIX) saw a 6.2% decrease to $0.45 at 15:15 EST, reflecting the broader market sentiment (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between the Nasdaq and AI tokens was evident, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.78 calculated over the past 24 hours, suggesting a strong linkage between traditional tech stocks and AI cryptocurrencies (CryptoCompare, 2025). Trading pairs such as AGIX/BTC and AGIX/ETH experienced increased volatility, with the AGIX/BTC pair seeing a 7.5% drop in value within 30 minutes of the Nasdaq announcement (Binance, 2025). This event presents potential trading opportunities, particularly in shorting AI tokens against more stable cryptocurrencies like BTC, given the observed correlation.
Technical analysis of the BTC/USD pair revealed a bearish engulfing pattern on the 1-hour chart at 15:30 EST, signaling potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC dropped to 35, indicating that the asset might be approaching oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). On-chain metrics showed a spike in the Bitcoin Network Value to Transactions (NVT) ratio to 120 at 16:00 EST, suggesting that the market might be overvaluing the network's transaction volume relative to its market cap (Glassnode, 2025). The trading volume for ETH increased by 18% to 500,000 ETH traded within the same hour, further confirming the market's reaction to the Nasdaq's decline (CryptoQuant, 2025). The AI-driven trading volume for AI tokens like AGIX saw a 15% increase, indicating that AI algorithms were actively responding to the market conditions (Kaiko, 2025).
The correlation between AI developments and the crypto market was further highlighted by the Nasdaq's impact on AI tokens. The sentiment analysis of social media platforms showed a 20% increase in negative sentiment towards AI tokens following the Nasdaq drop, as measured by the Sentiment Index at 16:30 EST (LunarCrush, 2025). This shift in sentiment could be attributed to the perceived risk in AI investments during market downturns, as AI tokens are often seen as high-risk, high-reward assets. The AI-driven trading algorithms, which typically rely on market sentiment and technical indicators, adjusted their strategies, leading to increased trading volumes in AI tokens. This event underscores the interconnectedness of traditional markets, AI developments, and the cryptocurrency ecosystem, providing traders with valuable insights into potential trading strategies during market volatility.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.