Bitcoin may have kicked off 2025 with a rebound back to $100,000, but since the release of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s December 2024 Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Jan. 8, the BTC/USD exchange rate dropped to as low as $91,220.84.
Bitcoin has stabilized at around $95,000 since then, but concerns run high whether further news about the future direction of interest rates and monetary policy will result in an additional negative impact to the performance of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
As cryptocurrencies have entered the financial mainstream, they have become increasingly sensitive to policy changes from the Federal Reserve. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the latest news from the Fed, and see what it could mean for the performance of both Bitcoins and altcoins in the months ahead.
Why Cryptos Fell on The Latest Fed News
As revealed in the aforementioned Fed meeting minutes, the central bank once again cut interest rates by 0.25%, or 25 basis points. This was in line with expectations. However, while the latest rate cuts arrived as expected, other takeaways from the meeting minutes caught investors off-guard.
Namely, the Fed’s signaling of its plans to reduce the number of 25-basis point rate cuts in 2025. Before the meeting minutes hit the street, the market was still expecting four such cuts throughout the year. The latest remarks from Fed officials regarding quantitative tightening also suggested that the “Fed pivot” this year will not be as rapid of a shift from hawkish to dovish as previously anticipated.
Taking this into account, it’s not completely surprising that Bitcoin has once again encountered negative volatility. Nor is it surprising that more volatile altcoins, like Ethereum, Solana, and Dogecoin, have all experienced double-digit declines over the past week. As “risk-on” assets, cryptocurrencies, especially altcoins, perform better during times of accommodative fiscal policy.
Yet while the Fed may be not turning as dovish as previously expected, and is in fact continuing to engage in monetary tightening, the impact of these policy decisions on cryptocurrency prices in 2025 may not be as dire as it seems at first glance.
What This Means for Bitcoin and Altcoin Prices in 2025
Although the cryptocurrency market reacted negatively to the Fed’s current policy gameplan, said plans could still result in further upside for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For one, the planned implementation of fewer 25 basis-point rates still means a further loosening of monetary policy, helping to justify additional upside for this “risk-on” asset class.
Second, with regards to Bitcoin, other positive factors are at play that could drive further upside for the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. These include increased institutional and retail investor allocation, as well as the specter of a more favorable crypto regulatory environment from the incoming Trump administration.
Binance CEO Richard Teng commented on what we can expect in the crypto industry in 2025, “We expect to see development across all aspects. Crypto regulation saw great growth across the world in 2024 and we expect to see more in 2025. Given the recent U.S. presidential election and expected crypto regulation from its new government, we expect to see other countries follow the lead from the U.S. and enact more legislation across the world.”
Teng continues, “In terms of institutional interest, financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity entered the crypto business in 2024, and we expect to see more new players next year. More companies are learning about crypto and integrating crypto features like tokenization into their business. This is a trend that has grown for years and we expect to see more development in.”
Admittedly, the recently-announced changes to the Fed’s rate cut plans could still negatively impact the performance of altcoins in the short-term. Altcoins are much more sensitive to changes in fiscal policy. Nevertheless, if a bull market continues in Bitcoin, chances are it will spill over into the altcoin space as well. Investors profiting from a continued run up in the price of Bitcoin could cycle their gains into Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and other major and emerging altcoins.
The Bottom Line
Over a longer timeframe, the Fed’s decision to more cautiously lower interest rates and loosen fiscal policy may do little to threaten the long-term bull case for cryptocurrencies. Due to a variety of trends, including the proliferation of exchange-traded cryptocurrency investment products, institutional and retail capital inflows into cryptocurrencies are poised to continue.
Of course, nothing’s for certain. For instance, following the latest jobs report, there is growing doubt whether the Fed will further walk back its 2025 rate cut plans. Even if the Fed sticks to its current plan, this asset class is likely to stay highly volatile. Caution and patience remain key.
Nevertheless, taking into account not just the Fed news,but the other positive trends at play as well, the opportunity for long-term price appreciation with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is still on the table.