Leading cryptocurrencies retraced Monday as geopolitical tensions escalated after Israel launched a military operation in Lebanon.

What Happened: Bitcoin went downhill throughout the day, at one point slipping below $63,000, wiping away gains from the previous day’s rally to $66,000.

Ethereum was comparatively less hassled, as it continued to wiggle in the $2,600 region.

The Israeli military reportedly launched a localized operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the latest flare-up in hostilities in the tensed Middle East region.

Cryptocurrency liquidations surpassed $225 million in the last 24 hours, the highest since Sept. 6. More than $180 million locked in long positions were erased.

Bitcoin’s Open Interest slid 1.14%, further indicating the liquidation of bullish leveraged bets. 

The number of traders opening short positions for the leading cryptocurrency continued to outnumber those taking bullish positions, according to the Long/Short Ratio.

The market sentiment fell from “Greed” to “Neutral,” according to the popular Cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index.

On a positive note, the market ended September on a high, with the biggest monthly gains ever recorded at 7.35%. 

Top Gainers (24-Hours)

The global cryptocurrency stood at $2.23 trillion in the last 24 hours, shrinking 2.42% in the last 24 hours.

Stocks ended September on a high. The S&P 500 gained 24.31 points, or 0.42%, to close at 5,762.48, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lifted marginally by 0.04% to end at 42,330.15. Both the blue-chip indexes closed at record highs. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.38% to end at 18,189.17. 

The rally recouped losses following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments that economic data would determine the speed of future interest rate cuts and that the regulator was not in a hurry.

The U.S. dollar initially strengthened following the hawkish remark, with the dollar index rising to 100.75. At last check, the index was down 0.04% at 100.715.

Investors’ next focus would be on the unemployment data for September, due for release on Friday. Powell stated that one of the Fed’s main goals was not to have higher unemployment, as they bring inflation down.

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Analyst Notes: Popular on-chain research firm Santiment highlighted its earlier analysis, which predicted a market top due to Bitcoin’s strong bullish crowd sentiment.

“With Monday’s retrace, there are some expected panic sells. If the FOMO turns to FUD, the bull market should resume quickly,” Santiment predicted.

Influential cryptocurrency trader Ali Martinez also underlined lower interest in King Crypto, citing less internet searches. “Believe it or not, this is bullish!” he added.