Cryptocurrencies had a less than stellar week. Prices dropped notably, dragging altcoins down with them. Yet, just minutes ago, concurrent with the Federal Reserve’s statements, we saw Bitcoin price climb back to $69,000. To aim for higher peaks before the halving, it’s crucial to see closures above $69,000.
Fed Statements
Ahead of the data release on Friday, the crypto community eagerly awaited statements from Federal Reserve members. At the time of writing, three different Fed members had made significant comments. Their views on interest rate outlooks and other remarks directly affect the crypto markets. Fed’s Mester stated:
“My long-term neutral estimate was raised from 2.5% to 3% in last month’s SEP. I want a few more months of data to assess inflation. As inflation falls, we should consider lowering interest rates. I need more evidence of inflation moving downward. I expect to be in a position to lower interest rates later this year. I don’t think inflation will reach last year’s pace this year.”
Kashkari commented:
“When we lower the interest rate, I see no reason to stop our balance sheet plan. If the economy continues to stay strong, we should question why lower the rates. If inflation halts, it’s possible the Fed won’t cut rates this year.”
Lastly, Goolsbee was more moderate but also indicated that if inflation doesn’t decrease, the necessary actions are clear:
“I had anticipated two rate cuts this year in March, but if inflation continues to move sideways, I’m starting to wonder if we might not cut rates this year. Things are flat with inflation. I want to be more convinced that inflation is moving towards 2%. We are quite restrictive in terms of policy, so the real question is how long we will stay there. If not, it’s a threat to our 2% target. Housing inflation needs to drop; I still believe it will. If we stay restrictive for too long, we’ll likely see employment start to worsen. The risks for inflation and employment are settling into a better balance. The last two months’ inflation data is a jump; we can’t write it off as just noise. If housing inflation doesn’t drop, bringing inflation back to 2% will be very challenging. Housing inflation is my most valuable indicator for the near future.”
BTC price began to rise after the announcements.
