Top meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE -2.39%) wasn't looking like much of an alpha animal on Thursday.

Top meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) wasn't looking like much of an alpha animal on Thursday. As of 4:00 p.m. ET, it was down slightly in price by 0.3%, late in a day when uncertainty on the future of current tariffs was rising. Many investors opted to buy stocks instead of transacting in altcoins like Dogecoin, as the S&P 500 index (SP500 0.38%) closed the day higher (by 0.3%).

Tariff to-and-fro

Cryptocurrencies, by their nature, are speculative investments, and Dogecoin -- a one-time satirical project that has improbably become a leading altcoin -- is a particularly speculative play. Such assets can be volatile at the best of times, and that goes double in periods of macroeconomic worry.

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That isn't to say the global economy isn't doing badly. However, the tariffs enacted by the Trump administration continue to weigh on investor psyches.

Thursday was a particularly up-and-down day for this, as a Court of International Trade ruled late Wednesday that some of those tariffs were levied illegally. But an appeals court granted the administration's request for a temporary pause on that ruling the following day.

The tariffs are already a trial for many crypto holders. That's because their potential dampening effect on both the U.S. and global economy risks draining investment out of speculative plays like crypto into those considered safer, such as government bonds or blue chip stocks. So, the tariff yo-yo on Thursday didn't do Dogecoin any favors.

Useful utility cryptos

Although he's backed down on some of the more severe tariffs, Trump seems very intent on keeping many in place. Given that, we shouldn't expect the legal fight over them to abate anytime soon. For crypto-heads, perhaps it's best to stock up on some of the more utilitarian coins and tokens, such as Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) or Solana (CRYPTO: SOL).