ФРС снижает ставку, биткоин удерживает поддержку на уровне $117 000 Headline: Fed Cuts Rates, Bitcoin Holds Support at $117,000

On September 17, the Federal Reserve System of the United States lowered the key interest rate by 0.25% to a range of 4-4.25%, marking its first reduction since December 2024. This outcome aligned with investors’ expectations, resulting in a muted market reaction.

«Recent data indicates a slowdown in economic activity during the first half of the year. Employment growth has diminished, and the unemployment rate has slightly risen, although it remains low. Inflation has increased and continues to stay elevated,» stated the regulator.

In the wake of this news, the price of Bitcoin briefly dipped below $115,000 but had recovered to $117,000 by the time of writing.

Ethereum’s value rose by 0.9% in the last 24 hours, reaching $4,560.

Among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, Solana, Dogecoin, and Cardano experienced the most significant gains. BNB also made headlines, as it hit a new all-time high of $994 on September 18.

The Fear and Greed Index remains in the «neutral» zone, registering a slight adjustment of one point over the past day to a score of 52.

During a press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell remarked that the FOMC did not reach a consensus regarding further easing of monetary policy.

«Ten out of 19 Committee members anticipate two or more rate cuts by the end of the year, while the remaining nine predict either fewer reductions or none at all,» he noted.

According to the median forecast from the Fed’s quarterly economic outlook, rates are expected to trend toward:

Before the regulator’s meeting, experts had differing opinions on the impact of the Fed’s decision on Bitcoin. Co-founder of Fundstrat and BitMine Chairman Tom Lee forecasted a «grand rally» for both Bitcoin and Ethereum in the upcoming quarter.

The expert suggested that the price of Bitcoin could potentially hit $200,000 by year-end.

Crypto analyst Ted Pillows predicted a correction for Bitcoin to around $92,000 before a new growth phase.

Economist Thomas Perfumo from Kraken Exchange believes that while the market will eventually track upward, it won’t happen immediately. He asserts that further reductions in the key interest rate will be crucial for digital assets.

«Investors expect a normalization of rates around 3-3.5%. Given the non-linear impact on asset prices, the next 100 basis point cut may have more substantial effects than the previous ones,» he commented to The Block.

It is worth noting that Clouted, a co-founder of the ETH Strategy protocol, declared the dollar to be «useless» in light of Bitcoin’s ascent.