{"id":58409,"date":"2026-02-12T09:08:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:08:31","slug":"market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Sentiment Sags on Crypto, Trade Tensions Rise, and Fed Rate Cuts Anticipated"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Crypto_Market_Faces_Headwinds_and_Analyst_Downgrades\" >Crypto Market Faces Headwinds and Analyst Downgrades<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Escalating_Trade_Tensions_Between_China_and_the_EU\" >Escalating Trade Tensions Between China and the EU<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Federal_Reserve_Rate_Cuts_Still_Expected_Amid_Economic_Data\" >Federal Reserve Rate Cuts Still Expected Amid Economic Data<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Mixed_Q4_Earnings_Reports_from_Euronet_Worldwide_and_IPG_Photonics\" >Mixed Q4 Earnings Reports from Euronet Worldwide and IPG Photonics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-sentiment-sags-on-crypto-trade-tensions-rise-and-fed-rate-cuts-anticipated\/58409\/#Global_Developments_North_Korea_Succession_Cuban_Fuel_Crisis_and_European_Commission_Raid\" >Global Developments: North Korea Succession, Cuban Fuel Crisis, and European Commission Raid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>crypto market<\/strong> is facing significant headwinds, with <strong>Standard Chartered<\/strong> predicting further declines for <strong>Bitcoin<\/strong> and <strong>Ether<\/strong>, and <strong>Monness, Crespi, Hardt<\/strong> downgrading <strong>Coinbase<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/COIN\">COIN<\/a>) to Sell, citing prolonged weakness through <strong>2026<\/strong> and <strong>2027<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>China<\/strong> and the <strong>European Union<\/strong> are embroiled in a <strong>WTO<\/strong> dispute, with China vowing to protect its legal interests against the EU&#39;s complaint on patent licensing measures and &quot;unwarranted and unjustified&quot; tariffs on EU dairy imports.<\/li>\n<li>Despite robust jobs data, <strong>UBS Global Wealth Management<\/strong> anticipates the <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> will implement two <strong>25-basis-point rate cuts<\/strong> in June and September, supporting equities, bonds, and <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">gold<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Euronet Worldwide<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/EEFT\">EEFT<\/a>) reported <strong>Q4 net income<\/strong> of <strong>$51.5 million<\/strong>, while <strong>IPG Photonics<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/IPGP\">IPGP<\/a>) exceeded revenue estimates with <strong>$274.5 million<\/strong> in Q4.<\/li>\n<li>Geopolitical news includes <strong>Kim Jong Un<\/strong> reportedly naming his 13-year-old daughter as his heir and <strong>Russia<\/strong> deepening Cuba&#39;s fuel crisis by shipping crude oil and humanitarian aid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Crypto_Market_Faces_Headwinds_and_Analyst_Downgrades\"><\/span>Crypto Market Faces Headwinds and Analyst Downgrades<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The cryptocurrency market is experiencing a significant downturn as <em>risk appetite weakens<\/em>, leading to predictions of further declines for major digital assets like <strong>Bitcoin<\/strong> and <strong>Ether<\/strong>. According to <strong>Standard Chartered&#39;s Geoff Kendrick<\/strong>, a softening U.S. economy and reduced expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts until June are contributing to the negative market sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the bearish outlook, investment firm <strong>Monness, Crespi, Hardt<\/strong> has double-downgraded <strong>Coinbase<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/COIN\">COIN<\/a>) from Buy to Sell. The firm cited <em>prolonged crypto market weakness<\/em> and cut its revenue, EBITDA, and EPS forecasts, now expecting softness for the exchange through <strong>2026<\/strong> and <strong>2027<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Escalating_Trade_Tensions_Between_China_and_the_EU\"><\/span>Escalating Trade Tensions Between China and the EU<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Trade relations between <strong>China<\/strong> and the <strong>European Union<\/strong> are under strain, with China expressing regret over the EU&#39;s <strong>WTO<\/strong> complaint regarding patent licensing measures. China has vowed to protect its legal interests and handle the dispute properly under WTO procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>EU Commission<\/strong>, in turn, is considering all appropriate next steps, including possible proceedings before the WTO. The Commission also stated that investigations should not have been initiated due to insufficient evidence, and it considers Chinese tariffs on EU dairy imports to be &quot;unwarranted and unjustified&quot;.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Federal_Reserve_Rate_Cuts_Still_Expected_Amid_Economic_Data\"><\/span>Federal Reserve Rate Cuts Still Expected Amid Economic Data<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite recent strong jobs data, <strong>UBS Global Wealth Management<\/strong> maintains its expectation that the <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> will proceed with rate cuts. The firm anticipates two <strong>25-basis-point cuts<\/strong> in June and September, a move that would support equities, bonds, and gold. This outlook comes even as some market observers reassess the potential hawkishness of figures like <strong>Kevin Warsh<\/strong>, whose reputation as an inflation hardliner may be overstated, according to <strong>Evercore ISI&#39;s Krishna Guha<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In the broader U.S. labor market, <strong>26%<\/strong> of the <strong>7.5 million unemployed<\/strong> individuals actively searching for work have been looking for more than six months.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mixed_Q4_Earnings_Reports_from_Euronet_Worldwide_and_IPG_Photonics\"><\/span>Mixed Q4 Earnings Reports from Euronet Worldwide and IPG Photonics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Euronet Worldwide<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/EEFT\">EEFT<\/a>) reported its <strong>Q4 net income<\/strong> at <strong>$51.5 million<\/strong>, with <strong>Q4 revenue<\/strong> of <strong>$1,108.7 million<\/strong>, closely aligning with the <strong>IBES estimate<\/strong> of <strong>$1,109 million<\/strong>. However, the company&#39;s <strong>Q4 adjusted EPS<\/strong> of <strong>$2.39<\/strong> fell short of the <strong>IBES estimate<\/strong> of <strong>$2.48<\/strong>, and <strong>Q4 operating income<\/strong> stood at <strong>$101 million<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>IPG Photonics<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/IPGP\">IPGP<\/a>) announced <strong>Q4 revenue<\/strong> of <strong>$274.5 million<\/strong>, surpassing the <strong>IBES estimate<\/strong> of <strong>$249.4 million<\/strong>. The company&#39;s <strong>Q4 EPS<\/strong> was <strong>$0.31<\/strong>, with a <strong>gross margin<\/strong> of <strong>36.1%<\/strong> and <strong>net income<\/strong> of <strong>$13.3 million<\/strong>. The <strong>Q4 operating margin<\/strong> was <strong>1.2%<\/strong>, and the outlook for <strong>Q1 revenue<\/strong> is projected to be between <strong>$235 million<\/strong> and <strong>$265 million<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Global_Developments_North_Korea_Succession_Cuban_Fuel_Crisis_and_European_Commission_Raid\"><\/span>Global Developments: North Korea Succession, Cuban Fuel Crisis, and European Commission Raid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In international news, <strong>North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong Un<\/strong> has reportedly designated his <strong>13-year-old daughter<\/strong> as his successor. This development signals a potential dynastic continuation in the isolated nation.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, <strong>Russia<\/strong> is set to ship crude oil and fuel to <strong>Cuba<\/strong> as humanitarian aid, aiming to alleviate the island nation&#39;s deepening fuel crisis. This move follows previous shipments and comes as U.S. measures continue to restrict Cuba&#39;s oil supplies.<\/p>\n<p>In Europe, <strong>Belgian police<\/strong> have conducted a raid on the <strong>European Commission<\/strong> regarding the sale of properties. Additionally, <strong>Lufthansa<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/LHA\">LHA<\/a>) expects to resume broadly normal operations on Friday following recent disruptions. Concerns have also been raised by <strong>IAEA<\/strong> Director General <strong>Grossi<\/strong> about the availability of material sufficient to manufacture a &quot;few, maybe a dozen devices&quot;.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, <strong>Elon Musk<\/strong> has called for the release of <strong>Jeffrey Epstein&#39;s videos<\/strong>, with victim images blurred, claiming they would &quot;eliminate all doubt&quot; and implicate many prominent individuals. In a separate social commentary, <strong>Generation Z college students<\/strong> are reportedly struggling with basic reading comprehension and processing full sentences upon arriving on campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The crypto market is facing significant headwinds, with Standard Chartered predicting further declines for Bitcoin and Ether, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[5039,1327,5671,1581,6327,1807,8898,3001,17053,3066,17054,3710,4415,4824,4945],"class_list":["post-58409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-eu","tag-china","tag-unemployment","tag-ipgp","tag-coinbase","tag-earnings","tag-trade-dispute","tag-coin","tag-euronet-worldwide","tag-eeft","tag-ipg-photonics","tag-federal-reserve","tag-crypto","tag-geopolitics","tag-monetary-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}