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On March 7, United States Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that interest rates may remain higher for longer than previously anticipated. This boosted expectations of a 50 basis points rate hike in the Fed’s March meeting to about 70% from 30% a week earlier, FedWatch Tool data suggests.

The U.S. dollar shot up and the S&P 500 plunged after Powell’s comments on March 7 but a minor positive in favor of the cryptocurrency investors is that Bitcoin (BTC) stayed relatively calm. The next trigger that could influence the markets is the February Jobs report to be released on March 10.

Although the macroeconomic environment is not favorable for risky assets, Bitcoin has shown relative resilience. This suggests that Bitcoin investors are not panicking and dumping their positions due to the short-term uncertainty.

Will Bitcoin and the major altcoins continue lower or is a rebound around the corner? Let’s study the charts of the top-10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

BTC/USDT

The bulls are finding it difficult to push Bitcoin back above the breakdown level of $22,800. This suggests a lack of aggressive buying at current levels. That could pull the price down to the crucial support of $21,480. This is the make-or-break level in the near term.

Bitcoin’s price (BTC) fell below a four-day narrow trading range near $22,400 on March 7 following comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he sat before a Senate banking committee. During the congressional appearance, the Fed chairman warned that the bank is prepared to tame inflation by pushing for more significant interest rate increases.

Fed Chair Powell added that "the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated," and that recent economic data was "stronger than expected." These remarks significantly increased investors' expectations of a 50 basis point interest rate hike on March 22, putting pressure on risk assets such as stocks, commodities, and Bitcoin.

That movement could explain why the $565 million Bitcoin weekly options expiry on March 10 will almost certainly favor bears. Nonetheless, additional negative crypto market events might have also played a significant role.

Bitcoin from the Silk Road and Mt. Gox are on the move

The movement of multiple wallets linked to U.S. law enforcement seizures on March 8 added to the price pressure on Bitcoin investors. Over 50,000 Bitcoin worth $1.1 billion were transferred, according to data shared by on-chain analytics firm PeckShield.

Furthermore, 9,860 BTC were sent to Coinbase, raising concerns about the coins being sold on the open market. These wallets are directly linked to the former Silk Road darknet marketplace and were seized by law enforcement in November 2021.

Like it or not, for crypto investors, the U.S. Federal Reserve policy on interest rate hikes and high inflation is the single most relevant measure for gauging demand for risk assets. By increasing the cost of capital, the Fed boosts the profitability of fixed-income instruments, but this is detrimental to the stock market, real estate, commodities and cryptocurrencies.

One positive aspect of the Fed's meetings is that they are scheduled well in advance, so Bitcoin (BTC) traders can prepare for those. Federal Reserve policy decisions historically cause extreme intraday volatility in risk assets, but traders can use derivatives instruments to yield optimal results as the Fed adjusts interest rates.

Another challenge for traders is they face pressure from Bitcoin being highly correlated to equities. For example, the 50-day correlation coefficient versus the S&P 500 futures has been running above 70% since Feb. 7. Although it does not state cause and consequence, it is evident that cryptocurrency investors are waiting for the direction of traditional markets.

It's also possible that Bitcoin's low emissions could prove to be a benefit as investors realize that the FED is running out of options to curb inflation. By raising interest rates even further, it could cause the U.S. government's debt repayments to spiral out of control and eventually surpass $1 trillion annually. This creates a huge incentive for Bitcoin bulls, but extreme caution is needed by those willing to make trades based on interest rate hikes.

Risk takers could benefit from buying Bitcoin futures contracts to leverage their positions, but they could also be liquidated if a sudden negative price move occurs ahead of the FED's decision on March 22. For this reason, pro traders are more likely to opt for options trading strategies such as the skewed iron condor.

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to three-week lows on March 8 as stronger-than-expected employment data from the United States dampened risk assets.

Employment stats boost Fed hawks, BTC price dips

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD dipping to $21,858 on Bitstamp.

The pair was attempting to preserve $22,000 as support at the time of writing, with traders’ downside targets still a way off at $21,300.

“Bitcoin not showing the strength I initially wanted to see (slight bounce yesterday taking place),” Cointelegraph contributor Michaël van de Poppe, founder and CEO of trading firm Eight, summarized.

“In that case, looking for some more downwards momentum towards a sweep of the lows at $21.2K before a bounce takes place. If we want $30K, flip $23K is necessary.”