Key Highlights
- The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% in a 9-3 vote, with three officials favoring a hike.
- Bitcoin and Ethereum posted losses, indicating markets had largely priced in the Fed’s decision.
- Traders now await upcoming economic data and Fed commentary for clues on future monetary policy and crypto market direction.
Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) showed limited price movement following the Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision, which left the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%.
According to the Fed’s official announcement, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted 9-3 to maintain the target range, with Governors Beth M. Hammack, Neel Kashkari, and Lorie K. Logan dissenting in favor of a 25-basis-point increase.
The decision came against a backdrop of solid economic activity, steady job gains, and inflation that remains above the Fed’s 2% target, partly due to energy-related supply shocks and ongoing uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict. The Committee reiterated its commitment to price stability while continuing to maintain ample reserves in the banking system.
BTC and ETH price movements after Fed’s decision
Market data captured around and after the announcement at 2:00 pm EDT showed Bitcoin trading near $64,176 and trading at $63,620 at the time of writing, showing a 1.5% drop and registering a modest 0.6% drop over the prior 24 hours.
Weekly performance remained negative at approximately 4.61%, reflecting the broader pullback from recent levels above $65,000. Bitcoin’s market capitalization stood at $1.29 trillion, with 24-hour volume near $26.78 billion. The asset remains roughly 49% below its all-time high of $126,198 recorded in October 2025.
Ethereum followed a similar pattern of contained volatility. At the time of the Fed’s decision, at 2:00 pm EDT, the asset was trading at $1,913 and traded around $1,882 at the time of writing, showing a 1.63% drop and a decline of 1.9% over 24 hours.
Its intraday range stretched from roughly $1,882 to $1,930, with a late-session reading near $1,913. Market capitalization hovered at $231 billion, and 24-hour volume exceeded $11.3 billion. Ethereum continues to trade approximately 61% below its August 2025 peak of $4,953.
Crypto liquidations hit $401M as longs dominate
Crypto markets saw $401 million in total liquidations over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data, affecting 112,341 traders. Long positions accounted for the overwhelming majority at $298.13 million, while short liquidations totaled $102.88 million.
Ethereum led individual assets with $32.22 million in liquidations, followed by Bitcoin at $27.66 million. Other tokens and contracts contributed the remainder. Shorter timeframes showed the same imbalance: one-hour liquidations reached $66.31 million (almost entirely longs), while four-hour and twelve-hour totals stood at $124.27 million and $192.26 million, respectively.
Price movement remains unassociated with Fed decision
The post-decision declines in Bitcoin and Ethereum suggest that traders had largely anticipated the Fed’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged. Both assets remained within recent trading ranges rather than showing an outsized reaction immediately after the announcement.
The three dissenting votes in favor of a rate hike added a slightly hawkish tone to the meeting, but the broader market reaction remained relatively muted.
The elevated level of long liquidations indicates that leveraged positioning also contributed to the recent weakness, alongside broader risk-off sentiment across financial markets.
Looking ahead, market participants are likely to focus on upcoming economic data, inflation readings, labor market reports, and additional comments from Federal Reserve officials for further signals on the path of monetary policy.
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