On March 18, 2026, the Federal Open Market Committee of the U.S. Federal Reserve held a scheduled meeting during which it decided to maintain the interest rate in the range of 3.5%–3.75%. This decision met market expectations; however, immediately after its announcement, the price of Bitcoin dropped below the $70,000 mark.
This is reported by Business • Media
Crypto Market Reaction: Liquidations and Trader Losses
The significant drop in Bitcoin’s price triggered a sharp increase in liquidation volumes on the cryptocurrency futures market. Over the past day, the total amount of forced position closures exceeded $500 million. According to CoinGlass, more than 145,000 traders suffered losses, with the majority being long position holders.
Fed Rate Dynamics and Analyst Predictions
It is worth noting that the last time the Fed lowered the discount rate was by 0.25% in December 2025. Since then, the rate has remained at 3.75% without further changes.
According to the analytical company Santiment, the results of the March FOMC meeting completely aligned with market forecasts. Experts also predict that another rate cut is likely in 2026, and a similar change may occur in 2027.
“Currently, traders are anticipating a bullish rally despite the lack of changes. This is likely due to the fact that the bearish market reaction to the absence of a rate cut already occurred the day before,” the experts added.
It should be noted that prior to the FOMC meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged the Fed to promptly lower the key interest rate to support economic growth.