Bitcoin fell sharply from the $79,500 level before the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the US Federal Reserve (FED). Since the beginning of 2025, the BTC price has fallen in seven of the ten FOMC sessions following interest rate cut decisions. Analysis reveals that although there was an increase in prices before the meeting, serious depreciations occur frequently immediately afterwards.
Price fluctuations after FOMC decisions
Bitcoin’s response to FOMC meetings over the past two years has been predominantly shaped by the impact of changes in liquidity and leverage conditions beyond the interest rate decision. Especially in late January and early February, the price decreased by approximately 30 percent, while the open position value in futures decreased from 61 billion dollars to 49 billion dollars in one week. During this period, an estimated $2.5 billion in liquidations took place in BTC derivative markets. The amount of liquidation in the entire crypto market reached 4.5 billion dollars.
It was stated that this fluctuation was a typical market behavior before the FOMC. Dutch analyst Michael van de Poppe stated that such corrections occur frequently in periods of increased uncertainty about Fed policies.
“It almost always happens before the event because markets are still feeling significant anxiety about future decisions from the Fed,”
He shared his opinion as follows. Van de Poppe predicted that if the BTC price remains above $73,000, stability can be achieved in the current price range in the near term.
Institutional demand and ETF inflows support the market
Although the short-term cautious outlook for Bitcoin continues, the increase in institutional demand ensures that the market moves on more solid ground. Strategy company, known to be a major portfolio manager among institutional investors, significantly increased its Bitcoin reserve in 2026, from 672,497 units to 818,334 units at the beginning of the year. In 2026 alone, 145,837 BTC was added to the portfolio. According to analysis, some of these purchases were financed by equity-linked securities that the company used to raise capital.
Another indicator of resurgent institutional interest in Bitcoin markets has been the rise of net inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs. Approximately 3.5 billion dollars of new fund flow was recorded in the last two months. According to experts, this activity in the ETF channel signals confidence in the overall market, even though short-term fluctuations continue.
Critical support zones in Bitcoin price
Although volatility in the BTC price may increase from time to time depending on macro developments, the asset finds strong support at certain price levels. Since March, Bitcoin has formed a bottom in these areas, especially the $60,000, $65,000 and $70,000 levels. While short-term selling pressures increased, long-term strategies and institutional accumulation continued to protect prices against serious declines.
Observers state that although major economic developments such as the FOMC reduce short-term risk appetite, the underlying demand base provides permanent resistance for the BTC market. This contributes to Bitcoin reaching a more solid and stable market structure in the long term.
