Investing.com — Shares of companies with significant cryptocurrency exposure, including Microstrategy, Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:MSTR), Marathon Digital Holdings (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:MARA), Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:RIOT), Coinbase (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:COIN), Robinhood (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:HOOD), Bit Digital (NASDAQ: BTBT), and CleanSpark (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:CLSK), saw a downturn in Thursday’s trading session. Microstrategy led the declines with a 5.5% drop, as the broader sector reacted to the Federal Reserve’s recent signals of interest rate caution and a significant pullback in Bitcoin‘s value from its record highs.

The crypto market’s downturn, with Bitcoin falling over 10% from its peak earlier this week, has created a ripple effect, impacting stocks associated with digital currencies. The reduced likelihood of a looser US monetary policy has diminished speculative interest, causing a notable slide in crypto-related equities. Bitcoin’s slide to as low as $92,149 on Friday morning, after reaching just above $108,000, has been particularly impactful on smaller tokens like Ether and Dogecoin, which experienced even steeper declines.

This shift in investor sentiment was highlighted by a record outflow of $680 million from a group of US exchange-traded funds investing directly in Bitcoin, ending a 15-day streak of continuous inflows. The outflow represents the largest single-day loss for these funds, as per Bloomberg’s compiled data, signaling a broader market apprehension towards speculative crypto assets.

The sell-off in these stocks reflects heightened investor caution as they recalibrate their expectations in light of the Federal Reserve’s stance and the volatile movements in the cryptocurrency market. The broader implications for companies like Microstrategy and others in the sector are yet to be fully realized as market participants assess the potential for further interest rate hikes and their impact on speculative investments.

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