Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies experienced a significant rally on Wednesday, driven by growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will implement an interest rate cut early next year. This anticipated monetary policy move is expected to provide support for cryptocurrencies.
Over the past 24 hours, the price of Bitcoin has surged by 3%, reaching above $38,100. This marks a return to its highest levels since late April and early May 2022. During that time, the crypto market faced a severe bearish trend that influenced market sentiment for the following 19 months. Bitcoin’s recent rally of over a third since October suggests the emergence of a new crypto bull market.
“Bitcoin has been oscillating within an upward range for over five weeks now,” stated Alex Kuptsikevich, an analyst at broker FxPro. “Although Bitcoin briefly surpassed $38,400, it faced resistance and retraced its gains due to the lack of solid footing.”
Bitcoin’s impressive surge can be attributed to optimism surrounding the potential approval of the first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) by U.S. regulators. This development is expected to generate a fresh influx of investor interest in digital assets. Furthermore, the improving macroeconomic conditions have also contributed to Bitcoin’s recent gains.
Bitcoin Bounces Back as Interest Rates Expectations Change
After experiencing a dip in the $38,000 zone earlier this week, Bitcoin has managed to recover. The resurgence comes as expectations grow that interest rates have hit their peak and may start to decrease as early as March. This positive development is not unique to Bitcoin alone. Like the stock market’s Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500, which have also experienced a rally, Bitcoin is set to benefit from lower interest rates.
Lower rates make riskier investments, such as tech stocks and tokens, more attractive compared to a high-interest rate environment where returns on government bonds are the safer choice. The recent catalyst for this shift in rate expectations was Fed governor Christopher Waller’s remarks on Tuesday. Waller expressed confidence in the current state of policy, stating that it is well-positioned to slow the economy and bring inflation back to the target of 2% set by the Fed.
Following Waller’s comments, traders quickly adjusted their predictions and now anticipate an earlier reduction in borrowing costs. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the likelihood of rates coming down by the Fed’s policy meeting in March has risen to 43% on Wednesday, up from below 35% on Tuesday.
Beyond Bitcoin’s positive performance, Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, also experienced a 1.5% increase and reached $2,050. Additionally, smaller tokens or altcoins saw gains, with Cardano and Polygon both increasing by 2%. Even memecoins were not left behind, as Dogecoin rose by 3% and Shiba Inu advanced by 2%.
This recent turn of events indicates a potential shift in the crypto market as investors respond to changing interest rate expectations. It remains to be seen how these developments will continue to unfold in the coming months.
