If you’ve watched the crypto markets for more than five minutes, you’ve probably noticed something strange: Every time the U.S. stock market sneezes, Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto world collapse like a poorly built Jenga tower. Meanwhile, economic news from China, Germany, Japan—and even crypto powerhouses like Kenya and Nigeria—barely cause a ripple.
Why? Is Bitcoin secretly an American citizen? Does Ethereum have a crush on Wall Street? And why does crypto ignore the financial chaos happening in Nairobi or Lagos? There is urgent need for equality of drama across crypto markets, investment without pressure is not quite exciting.
Bitcoin was supposed to be an independent rebel, but in reality, it behaves like a stock market intern desperate for attention. Every time the S&P 500 or Nasdaq moves, Bitcoin follows like a lost puppy. It’s almost embarrassing.
The Federal Reserve sneezes? Crypto crashes.
A U.S. tech stock misses earnings? Crypto crashes.
Elon Musk tweets something weird? Crypto pumps, then crashes.
It’s like the entire market is coded to react to U.S. financial news first, second, and third.
China: Crypto and China had a bad breakup. China has "banned" crypto so many times that traders have stopped paying attention. At this point, Bitcoin reacts to China news the way you react to your ex posting cryptic quotes on Instagram—not my problem anymore.
Germany: The German stock market is too stable. Crypto traders like volatility, chaos, and wild pumps followed by soul-crushing dumps. Germany doesn’t deliver that, so they ignore it.
Japan: Japan’s economy is massive, but crypto traders don’t care unless the word “Japan” is followed by “Bitcoin ETF approval” or “10x gains.”
Now, you’d think crypto would care more about Africa, given that countries like Kenya and Nigeria actually use crypto for real-life transactions—not just for meme coins and leverage trading. But nope. The market still ignores them.
Kenya: Kenyans are some of the most crypto-savvy people on the planet. From mobile money integration to innovative DeFi projects, Kenya is quietly leading in crypto adoption. But does the global market react when Kenya does something huge in crypto? Nope. Unless the Central Bank of Kenya announces Bitcoin as legal tender (which may happen when Genz start becoming central bank governor's), traders will keep ignoring it.
Nigeria: Nigerians love crypto so much that the government had to launch its own digital currency (that nobody really uses). Despite being one of the biggest Bitcoin peer-to-peer trading hubs in the world, Nigeria’s crypto activity barely affects global prices. Why? Because crypto traders are too busy watching what the Federal Reserve is doing instead of what actual crypto users in Lagos are doing. I dey hear una, my brothers and sisters!
Let’s be real—crypto is global, but American traders do the most. They have:
The loudest voices on Twitter
The hedge funds with deep pockets
The billionaires moving markets with tweets
An unhealthy obsession with Federal Reserve meetings
Meanwhile, traders in Kenya, Nigeria, and other crypto-loving nations are actually using crypto—sending remittances, making payments, and building businesses. But because they aren’t constantly panic-selling or launching “BREAKING NEWS” alerts, the market ignores them.
Crypto was supposed to be decentralized, borderless, and resistant to traditional finance. Instead, it’s glued to Wall Street while ignoring the rest of the world. Maybe one day, Kenya, Nigeria, and other key crypto adopters will get the market influence they deserve.
…But until then, we’re all stuck watching U.S. inflation reports like our financial future depends on it. (It has, it almost didn't and now they seem to be back.)
Fabian Owuor
