Bitcoin continued to trade in a narrow range around $74,000 on Tuesday, with daily volatility staying below 2%. It dipped to an intraday low of $73,399 at 21:00 UTC+8 on March 17, then crept up to a high of $74,894 at 23:00 before settling at $74,004, up just 0.06% over 24 hours. Trading volume stood at roughly $1.31 billion, reflecting indecision.
Ethereum Edges Higher, Outperforming Bitcoin
Ethereum followed a similar pattern, touching a daily low of $2,298 at 14:00 then climbing to $2,358 late evening. As of writing, ETH was at $2,323, up 0.81% for the day—slightly stronger than BTC.
$265 Million in Liquidations: Longs Bear the Brunt
According to CoinGlass, total liquidations across exchanges hit $265 million in the past 24 hours, affecting 75,227 traders. The largest single liquidation order was $7.29 million. The breakdown shows long positions bore the losses: BTC longs liquidated $66.13 million vs shorts at $26.29 million; ETH longs lost $77.51 million vs shorts at $15.18 million. In a sideways grind, leveraged bulls are squeezed.
FOMC Decision Looms: Market Holds Breath
The Federal Reserve's FOMC is set to release its interest rate decision in the early hours of March 19 (Beijing time)—the week's biggest macro catalyst. Markets widely expect no change in rates, pushing traders into a wait-and-see mode. Crypto prices have flattened ahead of the announcement, with neither bulls nor bears willing to make a big move. The statement and press conference afterward will be closely watched for directional clues.
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