Powell Challenges Easing Outlook

BTC traded at approximately $76,000, down 2.0% on the day and more than 40% below its $126,000 October all-time high, following a hawkish Fed hold. The FOMC kept rates unchanged at 3.50–3.75%.

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Market Snapshot: Overnight Moves

Daily Updates:

• After yesterday’s hawkish Fed hold, BTC is now trading around $76k, down roughly 2% on the day and off about 1.9% from yesterday’s $77k print, leaving it more than 40% below the $126k all-time high set last October.

• The slide in spot price has also coincided with a sharp move higher in the dollar and a renewed risk-off tone, after the FOMC voted 8-4 to keep the funds rate at 3.50–3.75% — the most divided decision since 1992 — and Chair Powell warned that the energy-price surge had “not yet peaked,” flagging that the easing bias could be dropped as soon as the next meeting.

• The S&P 500 absorbed the hawkish tilt without much damage and closed marginally lower at $7,135.95, down 0.04%, while the Nasdaq-100 actually edged up to $27,186.99 as traders positioned ahead of Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon earnings. The dollar was the clear winner: DXY climbed about 0.4% to roughly 98.98, peaking near 99.05 during Powell’s press conference before fading slightly into the close.