SINGAPORE, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency prices slid

as the spectre of a global trade war put investors on edge and

pushed them out of risky assets.

Bitcoin was down more 4% early on Monday morning in

Asia, touching a three-week low around $96,606. Smaller

cryptocurrency ether was down around 12% and back to

levels last seen in early November.

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 25%

tariffs on Mexican and most Canadian imports, and 10% on goods

from China, starting on Tuesday.

Cryptocurrencies trade around the clock, including on

weekends, and have lately been sensitive to markets' broader

sentiment.

Investors think tariffs can hurt growth and company

earnings.

"Crypto is really the only way to express risk over the

weekend, and on news like this crypto resorts to a risk proxy,"

said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.

At the same time, there is added downward pressure on crypto

after a strong rally in the wake of Trump's election, as some

investors have felt disappointed at the lack of immediate moves

to boost crypto or loosen regulations since he took office.