Brent crude tops $116 as oil spike drags crypto into risk-off mood

Brent crude climbed above $116 a barrel, its first trip to that level since April. Equities flinched, crypto followed, and traders were reminded that energy prices still have a vote in every asset class. Oil is supposed to be a commodities story. Lately it keeps showing up uninvited in the crypto group chat. The timing made things worse. Fresh University of Michigan data showed consumers still expect inflation of 5% over the next year, a reading that leaves little space for the rate cuts many investors have been hoping for. The damage on the board Bitcoin hovered near $81K, down 3.1% over 24 hours. On a seven-day basis, it was off a more modest 1.0%, which suggests most of the pain landed in a single session rather than in a slow bleed. Ethereum traded around $2,400, matching Bitcoin’s 3.1% daily decline almost exactly. When the two largest crypto assets move in lockstep like that, it usually points to a macro driver, not a coin-specific problem. Solana held at $104 after slipping 2.9% over the same window. XRP drifted lower to $1.31. None of these moves qualify as a crash. Call it a collective, synchronized sigh. Sentiment cooled along with prices. The Alternative.me Fear & Gr...