Bitcoin slips below $70,000, Circle's 16% slide leads crypto stock sell-off

Market participants are now pricing in rate hikes, and it could be weighing on risk assets. What to know : Bitcoin slipped back toward $69,000 on Tuesday as a broader pullback in risk assets weighed on crypto markets. Stablecoin issuer Circle and crypto exchange Coinbase led declines among digital asset-related stocks. Increasing expectations of Federal Reserve rate hikes fueled risk-off sentiment, while bitcoin continued its recent pattern of modest Monday gains followed by small Tuesday declines.