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Bitcoin pops then drops as Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs

As has been typical in crypto markets of late, even the most modest move higher was met with immediate selling.

Updated Feb 20, 2026, 3:31 p.m. Published Feb 20, 2026, 3:20 p.m.
Donald Trump points at the audience during a press conference at the White House.
Donald Trump points at the audience during a press conference at the White House.

What to know:

  • The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump's tariffs.
  • The news quickly sent bitcoin higher by about 2% to above $68,000, but the gains proved fleeting, with BTC quickly returning to the $67,000 level.
  • Earlier Friday, U.S. economic data showed slower than expected economic growth alongside higher than hoped inflation.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down President Trump's tariff regime in a 6-3 decision.

"No President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope," the court ruling said.

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"That 'lack of historical precedent,' coupled with the 'breadth of authority' that the President now claims, suggests that the tariffs extend beyond the President’s 'legitimate reach.'"

Bitcoin knee-jerked about 2% higher on the news, rising past the $68,000 level. As has been typical in crypto lately, though, the gain was reversed within minutes, returning to just below $67,000 at the current time.

Crypto's fleeting gains stood in contrast to what's appearing more sustainable in stocks, with the Nasdaq rising 0.6% to a session high.

Stagflationary data

Earlier Friday, a batch of U.S. economic data showed signs of stagflationary impulses. The U.S. economy grew only a modest 1.4% in the final three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported. Alongside core personal consumer expenditure prices rose 3% year-over-year, faster than the hoped for 2.9% and up from 2.8% previously.

On a yearly basis, the economy grew 2.2%, which is the slowest growth since Covid year 2020.

"Today’s economic data delivered a messy message of both hotter than expected inflation, and slower than anticipated growth," Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth, said. "The confusing message from today’s data confirms the current Fed bias to take their time with monetary policy."

More For You

‘Bitcoin to zero’ searches spike in the U.S., but the bottom signal is mixed

american-flag

Google Trends data shows the term hit a record high in the U.S. this month, though global interest has fallen since peaking in August.

What to know:

  • U.S. searches for “bitcoin zero” on Google hit a record high in February as BTC slid toward $60,000 after hitting a peak in October.
  • In the rest of the world, searches for the term peaked in August, suggesting fear is concentrated in the U.S. rather than worldwide.
  • Similar U.S. search spikes in 2021 and 2022 coincided with local bottoms.
  • Because Google Trends measures relative interest on a 0-to-100 scale amid a much larger bitcoin user base today, the latest U.S. spike signals elevated retail anxiety, but does not reliably guarantee a clean contrarian reversal.