Federal Reserve Keeps the Rates Unchanged: Will Bitcoin Keep Crashing?

In line with most experts’ expectations, the United States Federal Reserve has officially maintained the key interest rates unchanged for the third consecutive meeting in 2026.

History shows that BTC tends to underperform in the first week or so after each of the last several FOMC meetings.

With the decision announced minutes ago, the Fed left the interest rates at 3.50%-3.75% in what is expected to be Powell’s last FOMC meeting as the central bank’s chair.

The decision was taken with a vote of 8 in favor of keeping them and 4 against. The Fed’s main argument was the rising costs of certain costs, especially those that are impacted by the war in Iran.

As reported earlier in April, the inflation levels for March showed a substantial increase over February, especially in the energy sector, which has been influenced by the uncertainty prompted by the war.

Analysts warned before today’s meeting closure that bitcoin has dipped in the first several trading days after each FOMC meeting since at least July last year. Somewhat expectedly, the cryptocurrency slipped below $75,000 after the decision was announced, and most altcoins followed suit.

Recall that BTC tapped $79,500 just a few days ago when it was rejected and lost almost five grand to its low marked after the Fed’s meeting. The total liquidations skyrocketed to more than $500 million on a daily scale, with $200 million coming in the last hour alone.

BTCUSD April 29. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD April 29. Source: TradingView

The post appeared first on CryptoPotato.

read the full story

Eric Trump, John Koudounis Call Bitcoin a Global Reserve Asset, Float $1M Price Target

American Bitcoin Co-Founder and Calamos CEO John Koudounis told attendees at Bitcoin 2026 in Las…

Bitcoin-Backed Loans Are Unlocking Homeownership for an Entire New Generation

At the Bitcoin 2026 Conference, executives from SALT Lending and Peoples Reserve argued that…

Eric Trump says bitcoin in its 'greatest period ever' as Wall Street falls in line

Speaking at Bitcoin Las Vegas 2026, the American Bitcoin co-founder declared the last six months a…

Tech giant Meta starts paying some creators in stablecoin with Stripe's support

The tech giant is first offering the feature to select creators in Colombia and the Philippines.

Bitcoin, Ethereum Dip as Fed Holds Rates Steady for Third Straight Time

Wednesday's FOMC meeting was expected to be Jerome Powell’s last as Federal Reserve chair.

Steak ‘n Shake Says Bitcoin Payments Cut Processing Costs by 50%, Save $6 Million Annually

Steak ‘n Shake exec Michael Boes told Bitcoin 2026 attendees that Bitcoin has become central to…

Visa Scales Stablecoin Rails to Nine Networks as Partners Cite Real-World Demand

Visa announced April 29 that its global stablecoin settlement pilot has reached a $7 billion…

Most crypto investors believe Bitcoin is undervalued: Coinbase survey

Coinbase survey results and onchain data suggest that Bitcoin is undervalued and at the tail end of…

Bitcoin Falls As FOMC Signals Inflation Is Back, Holds Rates Steady

The Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected pause on interest rates Wednesday, holding the…

Ripple Prime to plug into Bullish Bitcoin options as OKX backs RLUSD

Ripple Prime will route clients into Bullish’s regulated BTC options while Ripple and OKX push…

Visa adds Polygon, Base support as stablecoin settlement run rate hits $7B

Visa broadens its crypto pilot to nine blockchains as stablecoin volumes grow, highlighting early…

AI Earnings From Four Tech Giants Land Tonight. Bitcoin Is Watching.

Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta all report Q1 2026 AI earnings after the close on April 29,…

Bitcoin Spot Volumes Crash to Bear-Market Lows – Apathy Now, Opportunity Next?

Major exchanges saw steep declines. Binance, for one, has shed $25 billion in volume since March.

Peter Schiff Claims Vindication as Bitcoin Falls 30% Since 2025 Sell Call

Strategy grew its BTC market share from 2.76% to 3.9%, a 40% increase in ownership concentration,…

Canadian Government Pushes for Sweeping Ban on Bitcoin, Crypto ATMs

The country hosts nearly 4,000 crypto ATMs, second only to the U.S.

Bitcoin's widely tracked Coinbase Premium turns negative as realized losses spike to $6 billion

A metric tracking U.S. spot demand has flipped red just as onchain data shows realized losses…

Ripple Prime Adds BTC Options via Bullish

Enterprise blockchain firm Ripple has significantly expanded its institutional offerings by…