- Bitcoin extended its slide to roughly $88,600 (its lowest level since April), erasing its gains from early 2025.
- The decline followed the release of Federal Reserve minutes, which showed officials were split on the path for interest rate cuts, increasing market uncertainty.
- The crypto market’s total valuation fell by $1 trillion from its July peak, with the Crypto Fear and Greed Index briefly falling to Extreme Fear (below 10).
It hasn’t been the best few days for Bitcoin (BTC), as the primary cryptocurrency extended its slide on Wednesday, dropping to about US$88,600 (AU$133,000). That’s BTC’s lowest level since April and more than 5% below where it started in early 2025.
The decline came as the Federal Reserve released minutes from its October meeting. The document showed officials split on how quickly to cut interest rates. Moreover, several policymakers pointed to slower hiring, higher unemployment and weaker labor demand as signs the economy is more exposed to a sharper slowdown.
Related: 148K BTC Dumped in Retail Panic as Analysts Brace for More Downside
Others warned that inflation is still too far from the 2% target, citing tariff-driven goods inflation and sticky services prices.
Moreover, the crypto market has lost roughly US$1 trillion (AU$1.54 trillion) from its peak of US$4.2 trillion (AU$6.47 trillion) in July, currently at US$3.1 trillion (AU$4.78 trillion).
Bitcoin dominance remains high at 58.6%, but sentiment is weak: the Crypto Fear and Greed Index briefly fell below 10 before rebounding to 16, according to CoinMarketCap, leaving it in “Extreme Fear” territory.
Historically, readings at 10 or lower have been followed by average gains of about 10% after one week and 33% after six months. But things change, so let’s see how it plays out this time.
Bitcoin Drops Amid Fed Statements
The Fed said policy is not on a preset path and that the December decision remains open. Some officials backed another rate cut as the bank moves toward a more neutral stance. Many preferred to keep rates unchanged for the rest of the year, while others wanted a larger 50-basis-point cut. Others argued for no cut at all.
Moving on, rate expectations shifted quickly. On Polymarket, the implied odds of a 25-basis-point cut in December fell from around 52% to 30%, while the probability of no change rose from 46% to nearly 70%. CME FedWatch showed a similar chart.
While Bitcoin bleeds, analysts at Sentiment believe that BTC, ETH, and XRP are “showing good signs of a potential rebound”, implying they have bottomed.
Read more: Singapore to Launch Bitcoin and Ether Perpetual Futures, Bringing Regulated Structure to a US$187B Crypto Market
Credit: Source link
