Bitcoin remained above $29,000 but dropped 0.23% to $29,787 on Tuesday amid renewed regulatory concerns. The US Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged crypto exchange Bittrex for breaching securities laws, while other crypto firms including Kraken, Coinbase, Paxos, and Binance have also been targeted by US regulators this year. Ethereum rose 0.48% to $2,101 after a blockchain upgrade, while Dogecoin and Solana fell on the day but rose on the week. The total crypto market capitalization gained 0.17% to $1.27 trillion, while the Forkast 500 NFT index rose 0.64%. Most Asian equity markets fell on Tuesday, except China and Japan, while US stock futures gained. European bourses rose to a year-high, led by Germany's DAX 40. Gold inched up 0.39% to steady around $2,002 an ounce.

(By PRADIPTA MUKHERJEE and ZOLTAN VARDAI)