Bitcoin Recovers Slightly to $86,000 Amidst Broader Crypto Sell-Off and ETF Speculation

Bitcoin (BTC) showed a slight recovery, trading just over $86,000 in early Asian hours on Wednesday, after fluctuating between $89,000 and $82,500 during U.S. trading hours. This comes amidst a broader crypto market sell-off, with the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index falling over 3%. Major tokens like XRP, BNB, ADA, and DOGE slumped as much as 4%, leading to over $600 million in liquidations on bullish futures bets. Litecoin (LTC) and Aptos (APT) were exceptions, rising over 10% each, fueled by the registration of a "BITWISE APTOS ETF" in Delaware and Litecoin ETF rumors. However, analysts like Ben Yorke from WOO suggest that a Litecoin ETF approval might be a "sell the news" event due to Litecoin's lack of yield, utility, or organic demand. Crypto market losses mirrored those in U.S. equities following disappointing earnings from Nvidia. Market watchers are awaiting macroeconomic cues for a sustained bitcoin rally, but concerns remain about sticky inflation and geopolitical tensions.