Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell chose to keep interest rates steady, but his remarks on escalating inflation risks from tariffs unsettled crypto markets. Traders on leverage platforms experienced a surge in liquidations as sentiment shifted to risk-averse. $200M in Leveraged Liquidations In less than 60 minutes, over $200M in leveraged crypto positions were forcibly unwound. Bitcoin dropped below $116K, with Ethereum falling about 3%, before both partially recovered. Bitcoin quickly recovered – it is currently back above $118K, though it still logged a daily loss of about 0.8%. Ethereum stabilized around $3,750, finishing down approximately 0.6%. Currently, Bitcoin has returned to its starting point, up 0.7%, while Ethereum is up 2%. Powell’s ‘wait-and-see’ approach: The Fed’s next meeting isn’t until September, giving the board of governors two months to analyze and interpret economic data. Powell appears eager to do this. Early odds for a Fed rate cut are at 39%, according to CME Fedwatch. Overall market strength: Minus a rate hike—virtually impossible—the worst-case scenario was simply the continuation of the current situation. That situation looks pretty good—Bitcoin trading is below but within range of its recent all-time high, the total crypto market cap is rising to nearly $4 trillion, and major tokens like $ETH are surging. Altcoins Bore Brunt of Fed-Prompted Dip Altcoins experienced larger swings: $SOL, $AVAX, and $HYPE each declined by 4–5% before bouncing back; meme tokens $BONK and $PENGU dropped around 10%, then later recovered. In contrast, Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) announced strong earnings after hours – stocks rising 10% and 6% respectively – bringing a stabilising tone. Matt Mena, from 21Shares, argues that the Fed’s reaction may lag. With consumer spending weakening, unemployment rising, and real yields still restrictive, continued rate tightness could risk a deeper slowdown. At the same time, if the Fed raises rates in September, there’s still time for a response. And on the Bitcoin front, Matt predicts that – rate cut or not – Bitcoin could soon enter another price discovery phase and move back past $120K. Analysts believe Bitcoin could rally toward $150K if the Fed pivots by year-end. That assumes inflation continues cooling and macroeconomic pressure accelerates policymaker shifts. And it would certainly set up the best altcoins for a renewed surge. Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) – Building a Faster, Stronger Bitcoin Layer 2 Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) knows what it’s about – taking everything that makes Bitcoin the world’s best-performing asset, and making it even better. That means delivering a lightning-fast Bitcoin Layer 2 solution through the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM). Bitcoin Hyper leverages the SVM to deliver near-instantaneous transaction finality, low transaction costs, and easy $BTC transfers between Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions. Bitcoin Hyper expands Bitcoin’s utility to include native staking, DeFi, zero-knowledge proofs, and more. It’s part of applying the original cryptocurrency’s market influence to the growing world of dApps and advanced blockchain protocols. The presale is already generating hype – the project raised $6.1M in mere weeks. The token price is $0.012475, as people ask – just what is Bitcoin Hyper? Learn how to buy $HYPER and see why we think the token could reach $0.08625 by the end of 2026. Visit the Bitcoin Hyper presale page today. Maxi Doge ($MAXI) – Big Gainz for Big Doges It takes big doges to make significant gains, and Maxi Doge ($MAXI) to make the biggest gains possible. $MAXI takes everything to the highest level possible. That means presale staking at 1683% dynamic APY, and a full 25% of the tokenomics reserved for leverage for $MAXI projects. The vibe with this doge is all about pushing the limits of what a meme coin community can achieve. This ERC-20 token could deliver huge gains to early investors with the right momentum. Tokens currently cost $0.00025 – and in under 48 hours, $MAXI has already raised $141K. Visit the Maxi Doge presale page today. Toncoin ($TON) – The Open Network for a Unified Blockchain Future TON – The Open Network – and the Toncoin ($TON) aren’t interested in adding another option to the ever-growing world of blockchains and tokens. Instead, they’re working hard to deliver the first actual Web3 experience by building ordinary and extraordinary blockchain tools on an existing Web2 platform. That means a crypto wallet, dApp integrations (everything from dating apps to bridges), and crypto payments with $TON – all native on Telegram. And with over 900M users on the Telegram platform, that’s an excellent way for TON to get ordinary people to see just how influential crypto can be. $TON itself is up nearly 6% in the past day, riding a wave of interest in a TON blockchain projected to reach 2.6M daily users in 2025. As Altcoins Surge, Powell’s Reluctance Could Be Short-Lived Powell’s messaging revealed the delicate balance between keeping inflation in check and supporting a trending slowdown. While short-term volatility spiked, markets digested the news – altcoins rebounded, and analyst narratives tilted toward optimism should the Fed shift its tone. Down for a bit, but hardly out at all. The outlook remains bullish for Bitcoin and altcoins alike. As always, please remember to do your research before investing; this isn’t financial advice. Source: newsbtc.com (Read Full Article)