Digital Financial Market and Global Economic Landscape as of the morning of February 17, 2026 (the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Horse):

📊 Crypto Market Overview: "Calm" on the First Day of the Year
Over the past 24 hours, the cryptocurrency market has moved quite cautiously. The lack of capital inflows from East Asian markets (Lunar New Year holiday) and the US holiday has significantly reduced liquidity.
1. Bitcoin (BTC): Challenging the $70K Psychological Zone
Volatility: Over the past 24 hours, BTC attempted to reach a high of $70.11K but quickly encountered profit-taking pressure, retreating to the $67.29K region.
This morning's status: BTC opened on February 17th at $67.89K.
Quick Analysis: The fact that BTC failed to hold the $70K mark shows that the bulls (buyers) still lack the strength to break through amidst low trading volume. However, the support level around $67K is still holding up quite well.
2. Ethereum (ETH) and Altcoins: Waiting for a signal
Ethereum: The opening price this morning was recorded at $1,998K. ETH is showing a strong correlation with BTC as it fluctuates around the important psychological threshold of $2,000.
Altcoins: Other coins such as SOL, BNB, and XRP recorded slight increases from 1.5% - 3%, showing that retail money is still flowing into ecosystems with good foundations.
🌍 Global Financial Landscape: Geopolitics "Hotter" Than Prices
While Asian stock exchanges are closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, the global financial picture has some notable highlights:
World gold "drops" the $5,000 mark: After a series of sharp increases, the price of gold retreated to around $4,947/ounce this morning. Downward pressure stems from a strengthening US dollar and expectations of peace talks.
Geneva Focus: Investors are holding their breath watching the US-Iran nuclear talks and the Russia-Ukraine peace discussions taking place in Geneva today. Positive diplomatic signals are causing a slight sell-off in safe-haven assets like gold.
Macroeconomics: Japan just announced its Q4 2025 GDP growth was only 0.2%, much lower than forecasts, raising concerns about the recovery of the Asian economy in 2026.
Assessment: The first day of the Lunar New Year was relatively quiet in terms of indices but full of underlying political events. BTC is likely to continue trading sideways within the $67K - $69K range until major markets reopen after the holiday.
‍#SachtonyMartket #ETH #BTC #ICP #GT