fed rate hike

Bitcoin (BTC) held $40,000 on March 17 after an anticipated key interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve delivered a strong response. BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView Fed singles out Ukraine war in inflation comments Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD climbing to local highs of $41,500 after the Fed announced it would raise rates by 25 basis points to 0.5% — the first such move since 2018. The Federal Open Market Committe (FOMC) voted almost unanimously for the raise, with an accompanying statement warning of persisting “upward pressure on inflation” thanks specifically to the war in Ukraine. “The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is causing tremendous human and economic hardship,” it read. “The im...