How Traders Are Positioning for Tariffs’ Supreme Court Ruling

Bitcoin is trading at a critical inflection point as markets brace for a rare convergence of legal and macroeconomic catalysts. Today, the US Supreme Court is set to rule on the legality of Trump-era tariffs, a decision that could ripple across global markets just hours after the release of US unemployment data.

Together, the two events have created a compressed, high-risk window for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin Bears and Bulls Hold Breath Ahead of a Supreme Court Decision

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading for $90,383, confined within a narrow trading range that reflects growing uncertainty rather than conviction.

Sponsored

Sponsored

Price action has stalled between clearly defined support held by bulls and overhead resistance defended by bears. However, technical and on-chain data indicate that both sides are entrenched, waiting for clarity.

“This isn’t a routine legal update…Whether broad tariffs imposed under emergency powers were lawful, ~$130B+ in annual tariff revenue potentially challenged…a ruling on authority and structure, not a technical tweak…Even if some tariffs fall, others remain under different statutes. Any rollback would likely be partial, slow, and messy…today doesn’t end tariffs. It defines how much of the current trade regime holds and how uncertain revenue, inflation, and global trade policy become from here,” said analyst Kyle Doops.

Markets Brace for a Binary Macro Shock

The Supreme Court ruling, expected at 10:00 a.m. ET, will determine whether tariffs imposed during the Trump administration are legally valid.

The outcome could act as a macro switch for sentiment. Many market participants have been operating under the assumption that tariffs remain in place, an environment that has shaped inflation expectations, earnings outlooks, and trade-sensitive growth forecasts.

Some traders argue that striking down the tariffs could ultimately be constructive for risk assets.

“If the Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs today, the local bottom is most likely in for Bitcoin and crypto. Tariffs will be invalidated, markets get clarity, cost pressure eases, corporate earnings outlook improves, and risk-on flows return,” said analyst Fefe Demeny.

Sponsored

Sponsored

However, sentiment is far from uniform. Polymarket data shows a 26% chance of the Court ruling in favor of the tariffs. This highlights how skewed expectations have become, and how violent any repricing could be if markets are caught off guard.

The legal decision follows closely on the heels of the US unemployment report, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. According to Crypto Rover, the sequencing alone is enough to elevate risk.

“Bitcoin drops back below $90,000 as markets brace for today’s US unemployment report and the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs,” he wrote, warning that the next 24 hours could be extremely volatile.

Bulls Defend Below, Bears Cap Above: Here’s Where Buyers and Sellers Could Act

On-chain data from Glassnode shows that bulls are firmly positioned at $87,094, where a large volume of Bitcoin last changed hands. Holders at this level are sitting comfortably in profit, reducing their incentive to sell and making the zone a natural support area rather than an aggressive buying level.

Sponsored

Sponsored

If price pulls back, this is the first region expected to absorb selling pressure.

Below that, $84,459 represents a secondary bull fallback, where deeper cost-basis support exists if the higher level fails.

On the upside, resistance begins at $90,880. Here, many holders are sitting near breakeven, creating conditions for distribution as price rallies into the zone.

Glassnode data shows even heavier resistance clustered around $92,143, backed by a large concentration of underwater supply that could intensify selling pressure.

Until bulls can reclaim $90,880 decisively, bears retain tactical control of the upside.

Sponsored

Sponsored

Volume Profile Confirms the Standoff

TradingView’s Volume Profile mirrors the same picture. Aggressive buying is concentrated between roughly $89,800 and $90,300, marking bulls’ short-term line of defense (shown with green horizontal bars).

In contrast, repeated selling pressure emerges between $91,200 and $92,000, where bears have consistently capped upside attempts (red horizontal bars).

The result is a textbook compression structure, where price is squeezed between demand below and supply above, with volatility suppressed not by calm, but by balance.

With Bitcoin wedged between bull-held support and bear-controlled resistance, the market is effectively waiting for permission to move.

A clean break above $92,000 could force bears to cover and trigger momentum expansion. A loss of the $89,500–$90,000 region, however, would expose the market to a deeper retracement toward the high-$80,000s.

The Supreme Court ruling stands as the most immediate catalyst capable of breaking the deadlock, with bulls and bears remaining locked in place, waiting to see which side the macro winds will favor.