Cardano faces deeper plunge as Bitcoin breaches $70K amid bear-cycle fears

• Cardano price dropped to near $0.26 as cryptocurrencies continued to struggle.
• ADA bulls face further pain if the price breaks below $0.25.
• Bitcoin’s crash to under $70,000 amid bear cycle fears is a major trigger.

Cardano price fell more than 9% to extend its downturn, with this coming as Bitcoin tumbled to below the $70,000 support level.

With BTC dragging the broader crypto market into turmoil, Cardano (ADA) dropped to lows of $0.26, signaling prolonged downside risks in this bear cycle.

Other altcoins had it even rougher, with XRP plummeting 14% to under $1.40 and Solana breaching support at $90.

Altcoins slide as BTC tanks amid market panic

Bitcoin sank further on Thursday, with bears breaking below $70,000 to plunge the whole sector into fresh turmoil.

The 8% drop from a retest of $73,000 came as Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, sank into unrealized losses worth billions of dollars.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had also noted on Wednesday that the government would not “bail out” Bitcoin.

However, despite confirmation that the US will not sell its BTC holdings, Cardano, alongside all the top altcoins, nosedived as BTC touched lows of $69,500.

Analysts at Glassnode pointed out that forced selling is escalating.

The $BTC capitulation metric has printed its second-largest spike in two years, highlighting a sharp escalation in forced selling.
These stress events typically coincide with accelerated de-risking and elevated volatility as market participants reset positioning.… pic.twitter.com/mcvVqXJcYq

— glassnode (@glassnode) February 5, 2026

Cardano ADA price dives to $0.26

Cardano traded at $0.27 at the time of writing on February 5, 2026, down nearly 9% on the day.

Recent declines mean Cardano price has dived 21% in the past week and 36% in the past month.

The plunge from the $0.8 peak in October 2025 has only accelerated in the past month, with bulls failing to hold onto notable bounces above the $0.30 level.

ADA’s move aligns with bear cycle indicators, including a Fear & Greed Index in extreme fear territory and negative funding rates across exchanges.

Retail and institutional outflows have also amplified the slide, with macroeconomic conditions fueling further pain in a brutal start to the year for buyers.

Given Bitcoin’s outlook, analysts see the current support level of $0.26 as a fragile one for Cardano.

Bearish technicals signal further ADA downtrend

ADA’s daily chart gives a largely bearish outlook after the token’s dip below $0.30 and $0.28.

The dump across risk assets saw buyers fail to hold the 50-day moving average mark, while daily RSI hovers near oversold but lacks bullish divergence.

Data from Coinglass also shows a sharp decline in open interest, and negative funding rates reinforce the outlook.

If the altcoin carnage accelerates amid a broader bear cycle crash, ADA could revisit $0.20 or lower.

On the upside, a shift in macro conditions and regulatory tailwinds could spark bullish bets.

Catalysts like network upgrades or ETF approvals also favour bulls, with short-term targets at $0.50 and $1.