Bitcoin sold off sharply after the March FOMC meeting delivered a hawkish message to risk markets. The asset dropped from a pre-meeting high of $74,272 to a session low of $70,462, then traded around $70,900, down roughly 5% over 24 hours. Ether also came under pressure, falling to $2,154 before stabilizing near $2,192. According to the source material, BTC has declined after 8 of the past 9 Fed decisions, and this meeting followed the same post-announcement pattern.
$452 Million in Liquidations Hits Leveraged Longs
CoinGlass data showed 135,908 traders were liquidated across the market in the past 24 hours, with total liquidations reaching $452 million. Long positions accounted for $381 million, or about 84% of the total, while shorts made up $71.37 million. By asset, BTC liquidations came to $153 million and ETH liquidations totaled $148 million. The largest single liquidation was an ETHUSDT contract on Aster, valued at $17.97 million.
Fed Holds Rates Steady but Narrows the Path for Cuts
The Fed left its policy rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% on March 18, in line with market expectations. The details were less friendly for risk assets. Powell raised the 2026 inflation forecast to 2.7% from 2.4% and said oil prices had been clearly reflected in the inflation outlook. The dot plot now points to only one rate cut this year. Out of 19 officials, 7 see no cuts at all in 2026, one more than in December. Powell also said the next move could still be a hike, adding to concerns that inflation pressure remains sticky.
Major Tokens Weaken While SOL Moves Higher
Most large-cap tokens followed Bitcoin lower. ETH traded around $2,188, down 6.5% on the day, while XRP fell 4.4% to about $1.46. Solana was the standout, rising 4.54% to $90.14 against the broader market trend. Total crypto market capitalization slipped to roughly $2.52 trillion.
Fear Index Drops to 26 as Stablecoin Inflows Fail to Support Prices
The Crypto Fear and Greed Index fell to 26, placing sentiment in fear territory. Positioning had already built up before the Fed meeting. Binance reportedly received about $2.2 billion in USDT inflows in a single day, described in the source as the biggest one-day stablecoin deposit since November 2025. Even so, that capital did not stop the post-FOMC decline. Traditional markets also moved lower, with the S&P 500 down 1.4%, the Nasdaq off 1.5%, and gold falling 3.1% to below $4,850.
Inflation and Oil Stay at the Center of the Trade
The immediate focus remains on inflation expectations. The source points to two variables: whether tariff policy expands and whether oil prices keep rising. Both would affect the Fed’s inflation outlook and rate path. If growth data softens while inflation stays elevated, the market may push back expectations for that single projected cut, leaving pressure on crypto risk appetite intact.