CoinEx Monthly - Flight to Safety: Tariffs, Takaichi, and Tehran Put Crypto to the Test

February 2026 was a macro-and-geopolitics stress test for crypto, as markets digested a rapid sequence of shocks, from the U.S. Supreme Court's invalidation of Trump's tariff regime, Japan's snap election delivering PM Takaichi a supermajority mandate, and U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran culminating in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, all exposed crypto's fragility and triggered a flight to safety that benefited traditional havens like gold. Against this backdrop, Bitcoin faced sustained downside pressure throughout the month. It traded down from a high near $78,000 in early February to test critical support at $63,000 mid-month, before closing at approximately $67,000 following the Iran strikes, down 15% over the month. Yet the tape also revealed early stabilization signals: Bitcoin held the post-strike weekend drawdown relatively well, stablecoins posted ~$3.3b net inflows (a meaningful reversal in liquidity), and the BTC–S&P 500 correlation re-accelerated, implying macro risk appetite is again the primary driver.

Court Kills IEEPA Tariffs, Trump Reloads Under Section 122

The Supreme Court delivered a blow to President Trump's trade agenda on February 20, striking down in a 6-3 ruling the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for imposing tariffs. This decision invalidated both the "Reciprocal Tariffs" imposed in April 2025 and the "Trafficking and Immigration Tariffs" related to fentanyl, affecting what had been the administration's primary mechanism for implementing trade policy. The ruling created immediate economic uncertainty and opened the door to potential refunds of an estimated $150 billion in tariff revenues already collected.

Instead of the relief, President Trump moved swiftly to implement a new tariff regime under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, initially announcing a 10% global tariff on February 20 to take effect February 24. Within 24 hours, he raised the rate to 15%, the maximum allowed under Section 122. However, these tariffs carry a 150-day sunset provision unless extended by Congress, inducing ongoing policy uncertainty. The effective tariff rate fell from 16% pre-ruling to approximately 9.1% under the new regime, according to Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis.

While the U.S. equities demonstrated resilience, Bitcoin continued its descent, highlighting that digital assets were being treated as pure risk-off vehicles rather than portfolio diversifiers.

Source: Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis

The “Takaichi Trade” Emerges

On February 8, Japan delivered one of the most decisive electoral mandates in its postwar history. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured 316 of 465 seats in the lower house, the largest single-party majority since World War II, giving her a coveted two-thirds supermajority. Combined with coalition partner Japan Innovation Party (Ishin)'s 36 seats, the ruling bloc commanded 352 seats total. 

Her policy platform emphasized "responsible yet aggressive fiscal policy," including suspending the 8% sales tax on food for two years, massive infrastructure spending, increased defense budgets, and a more hawkish stance on China, particularly regarding Taiwan. The U.S.-Japan relationship appeared to reach new heights, with Takaichi's pro-defense spending and willingness to accommodate Trump on trade winning favor in Washington.

The Nikkei 225 surged to record highs above 57,000 immediately following the election results. Markets quickly identified a new positioning theme: long Japanese equities, short yen, and caution on long-duration JGBs. This "Takaichi Trade" reflected expectations of fiscal-driven growth, yen weakness to support exports, and rising bond yields from deficit concerns. The trade had global implications, as yen weakness and higher Japanese rates affected carry trade dynamics worldwide.

Bitcoin's initial reaction to the Japan election was muted, but capital rotation into Japanese equities on fiscal stimulus expectations could draw liquidity away from global risk assets including crypto. Investors might reposition from growth-starved U.S. tech and crypto into Japan's suddenly attractive reflation story.

U.S.–Israel Strikes on Iran: A Temporary Risk Premium

The month's most dramatic development came on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched "Operation Epic Fury" and "Operation Roaring Lion", coordinated military strikes across Iran that resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strikes, which had been telegraphed through weeks of unprecedented military buildup (described as the largest U.S. force concentration in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion), targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and senior leadership.

As the U.S.–Iran conflict headlines hit over the weekend, Bitcoin served as the most liquid venue to de-risk quickly, so the initial pressure showed up in crypto first. However, the way crypto has absorbed this pressure is quite revealing. Despite the weekend panic, Bitcoin held relatively steady around $66,000 (down only 2%), and ETH saw a manageable 4% drop to $1,950. This suggests that while crypto provided the necessary exit liquidity for weekend sellers, the broader market is currently treating the escalation as a temporary risk premium.

The latest escalation in the Middle East has pushed oil, the key transmission channel, higher on concerns over potential disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, which threatened 21% of global supply. Gold is behaving as the classic geopolitical hedge, with safe-haven demand driving prices upward, while Bitcoin continues to act as a liquidity ATM, taking the initial hit from weekend military escalations. The jump in oil and gold prices reflects a temporary risk premium. When oil and gold retreat from these gains, the market will be signaling expectations of de-escalation. If the conflict intensifies, we can expect gold to remain strong while Bitcoin becomes more vulnerable, particularly if supply shocks tighten liquidity and raise real yields.

Traders are focused on whether the conflict escalates further or shows signs of containment, and how traditional equity markets ultimately digest the geopolitical shock as global trading activity fully normalizes. They are also closely watching whether oil and gold can hold their weekend spikes, or begin to fade, as that trajectory will determine whether the current move remains a short-lived risk premium or evolves into a more persistent macro headwind for risk assets, including crypto.

Key Charts to Watch

$BTC: Bitcoin remains confined to the upper reaches of its expansive $53,000-$73,000 trading band, exhibiting range-bound volatility. Absent any robust rebound catalysts or evidence of a completed bottoming process, the market appears positioned for ongoing consolidation, pending definitive directional signals.

Bull Case: A confirmed breach above $73,000 could herald a meaningful rebound rally.

Bear Case: A breakdown below the $63,500 midline may trigger a retest of the $53,000 level, reaffirming the bear market trough.

BTC-S&P 500 Correlation Strengthens: Reversion to Macro Liquidity and Risk Appetite Dominance

The correlation between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 declined sharply from December through January, before rebounding markedly and intensifying in recent weeks (February). This resurgence in correlation suggests that idiosyncratic bearish narratives within the crypto market have been progressively absorbed, with macro liquidity expectations and broader risk-on sentiment reclaiming dominance over asset pricing. In turn, this implies a convergence of capital flows driving BTC with those fueling U.S. equities, particularly technology and AI-themed stocks.

The Explosive Rise of Agentic AI and Infrastructure Readiness

Agentic AI experienced explosive growth throughout February. OpenClaw quickly became the breakout open-source framework, going viral as a fully local, privacy-first personal agent that runs entirely on user devices. Originally starting as Clawdbot/Moltbot in late January, it achieved over 237,000 GitHub stars within weeks. Its ability to autonomously handle email triage, calendar scheduling, browser tasks, and even multi-step real-world workflows made it a favorite for power users seeking maximum control and zero cloud dependency.

Source: OpenRouter

At the same time, core internet infrastructure rapidly added native support for AI agents. Cloudflare launched its Markdown for Agents feature in mid-February, automatically converting HTML to clean, token-efficient Markdown via content negotiation to dramatically simplify web access for autonomous systems. In the crypto and fintech space, Uniswap rolled out dedicated AI agent skills for seamless on-chain trading, Polymarket open-sourced its CLI and agent framework for prediction markets, and MoonPay introduced MoonPay Agents for autonomous wallet funding and payments, marking a decisive step toward truly agent-native financial rails.

Signs of Stablecoin Resilience Point to Quicker Market Healing 

Digital-asset liquidity saw a decisive shift this month, with stablecoins recording approximately $3.3 billion in net inflows—a sharp reversal that arrests the prior month's slump. This pivotal data point is prompting us to reassess the six-month bearish trend that has recently gripped the sector. Against a backdrop of persistent macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility, this contrarian signal in stablecoin flows carries significant weight, suggesting the broader market may be testing a definitive bottom and positioning for an imminent bullish reversal.

Disclaimer

The content provided in this report is for illustrative purposes only and is intended to offer insights into the cryptocurrency market. It is not, and should not be interpreted as, investment advice or recommendations. The information contained herein is based on sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any opinions expressed reflect a judgment at the date of publication and are subject to change without notice. Readers are advised to conduct their own research and due diligence and, where appropriate, seek professional advice before making any investment decisions. The authors and publishers of this report accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of the information provided.

Do Your Own Research.

About CoinEx

Founded in 2017, CoinEx is a global cryptocurrency exchange committed to making trading easier. The platform provides a range of services, including spot and margin trading, futures, swaps, AMM, and financial management services for over 5 million users across 200+ countries and regions. 

Since its establishment, CoinEx has steadfastly adhered to a "user-first" service principle. With the sincere intention of nurturing an equitable, respectful and secure crypto trading environment, CoinEx enables individuals with varying levels of experience to effortlessly access the world of cryptocurrency by offering easy-to-use products.

About CoinEx Research

CoinEx Research is the research arm of the CoinEx Exchange, dedicated to providing in-depth analysis and research reports on the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. 

The team provide users with professional market insights by tracking market trends, analyzing project white papers and technical documents, evaluating project teams and development prospects, etc. Our reports cover macro markets, blockchain technology, digital assets, DeFi, NFTs, and other fields in the various forms of research publication. 

To see more of CoinEx Research's reports and insights, visit our CoinEx Insight.