Major Tokens Slumped as Moody's Downgrades U.S. Credit Score, Bitcoin (BTC) Holds $104K

Major crypto tokens extended losses Saturday as investors digested the implications of Moody’s downgrading the U.S. credit score, with ether (ETH), XRP, and dogecoin (DOGE) all dropping roughly 3%. The broader crypto market held at $3.3 trillion, pairing earlier gains after briefly touching the week’s high.

The move came after rating giant Moody’s cut the U.S. sovereign credit rating to Aa1 from Aaa, citing the country’s swelling deficits, rising interest expenses, and a lack of political will to rein in spending. The firm now joins Fitch and S&P in assigning a rating below the once-unblemished triple-A status long held by the world’s largest economy.

As such, the White House was quick to respond, with spokespersons for President Donald Trump criticizing the decision as political and stating it will be appealed by the administration.

The downgrade had an immediate effect on traditional markets: U.S. Treasury yields rose sharply, with the 10-year note climbing to 4.49%, and S&P 500 futures slid 0.6% in after-hours trade.

Historically, concerns about U.S. debt sustainability and dollar debasement have served as key drivers for bitcoin and other decentralized assets. However, credit downgrades can also trigger short-term risk-off behavior, particularly as macro uncertainty may lead institutional traders to reduce their market exposure.

Some traders also warned of a deeper sell-off in the near term on general profit-taking before the next rally. Bitcoin is holding the $104,000 key level and the positive factor is that sellers still haven’t managed to gain a foothold in the market,” Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro chief market analyst, told CoinDesk in an email.

However, resilience at high levels may be temporary before the next bounce, and there is considerable pressure on the price from the upper boundary of the current range, which is being defended by buyers.

“In other words, the short-term technical outlook suggests a decline from current levels.”