Decentral Block Post

The United States Federal Reserve began its most aggressive quantitative tightening efforts in March 2022, raising benchmark interest rates in the year since from near-zero to 4.75% to 5% annually. While the central bank has successfully brought down inflation to some degree, the increasing interest rates are starting to cause cracks in the global banking industry.

The market expects the Fed to end quantitative tightening and provide favorable liquidity conditions to avoid a global financial crisis as the banks begin to fail. The shift in the Fed’s policy should have significant implications for financial assets.

Jurrien Timmer, the director of global macro at Fidelity, discussed the likely impact of the Fed’s dovish pivot on stocks, gold and Bitcoin.

Market expects the Fed to put an end to interest rate hikes

The Fed is largely expected to either maintain the interest rates at current levels or start cutting rates. CME’s FedWatch Tool shows that the market is currently placing a 50% chance that the March 25 basis point hike was the last one for a while.

If the Fed stops its rate hikes, risk assets like equities can experience a positive rally based on historical data. The average one-year return in the S&P 500 index after the last rate hike since 1984 has been 18.9%.

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed tightly rangebound at the April 3 Wall Street open as analysts counted down to volatility.

“Watch for rugs” on BTC

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it lingered around $28,000 on Bitstamp.

The weekend had finished on an erratic note as news of an OPEC+ oil production cut sent crypto tumbling before a rebound during the Asia trading session.

Amid a lack of clear direction, monitoring resource Material Indicators flagged significant liquidity on either side of spot price on the Binance order book.

“We still don’t have a confirmed breakout or breakdown, only rejected attempts which have kept price chopping in this range,” part of fresh Twitter commentary added.

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week in volatile territory, with news of an oil supply cut delivering a choppy start.

Still caught at major historical resistance, BTC/USD delivered an unappetizing weekly close on news of oil production cuts.

A subsequent rebound may show bulls’ mettle, but the question for analysts is what happens next. Will oil prices dictate market moves or can Bitcoin break through $30,000?

Under the hood, the picture is as rosy as ever, with network fundamentals due to hit new all-time highs this week while dormant supply is also increasing.

Cointelegraph looks at Bitcoin markets as the world digests the latest move from The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus 10 other oil-exporting countries (Opec+).

Paris Blockchain Week celebrated its fourth edition in spring 2023 against a backdrop of riots, protests and general civil malaise. The builders in the Bitcoin (BTC), crypto, and Web3 spaces were unfazed by protesters chanting and dancing on the doorstep of the conference venue. 

The event took place against the backdrop of ongoing protests in Paris and worsening macroeconomic conditions in France. Many attendees expressed concern about the impact of these factors on the future of the blockchain and crypto industry, particularly in Europe.

Nevertheless, the overall mood at PBW 2023 was optimistic, with many attendees citing the recent surge in Bitcoin's price as a sign of growing mainstream acceptance of the technology. Plus, as Pascal Gauthier, CEO of Ledger, explained to Cointelegraph: “Bitcoin was designed for this.”

“Bitcoin was designed in reaction to Lehman Brothers in the 2008 crisis. It was designed because you can’t trust central authorities. And it’s designed because it’s clear that central authorities will fail. It’s not a question of if. It’s more a question of when.”

However, as protestors marched to the doorstep of the entrance to the “Les Salles du Carousel,” the crypt of the Louvre in which the event was held, there appeared to be a disconnect or rift between the Web3 space and reality.