Bitcoin Holds Steady Above $28K, Ether Rises in Post-Rate Hike Rally

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Bitcoin jumped above $28,800 earlier Thursday before retreating. Ether rose above $1,850, its highest level since August.

By Jocelyn Yang

Mar 23, 2023 at 8:31 p.m. UTC

Updated Mar 23, 2023 at 8:50 p.m. UTC

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Bitcoin, March 23, 2023 (CoinDesk)

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Head of Firmwide Research

Galaxy

Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023.

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Jocelyn Yang

Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program.

Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter

Alex Thorn

Head of Firmwide Research

Galaxy

Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023.

Secure Your Seat

Alex Thorn

Head of Firmwide Research

Galaxy

Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023.

Secure Your Seat

Bitcoin ( BTC ) was hovering above $28,000 Thursday as major cryptocurrency assets shrugged off the U.S. Federal Reserve’s 25-basis point rate hike and ongoing concerns about the banking sector and future monetary policy decisions.

BTC, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was recently trading at around $28,200 Thursday afternoon, up over 4% in the past 24 hours. Just hours earlier, BTC had jumped as high as $28,800 amid at least temporarily renewed confidence in riskier assets. The BTC/USD trading pair on the Coinbase exchange rose to $28,839 at one point, according to data from TradingView.

"The recent crypto rally has been fueled by bank runs that have led many to become skeptical with traditional banking, given all the vulnerabilities with deposit flights," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at foreign exchange market maker Oanda, wrote Thursday. Moya believes that BTC needs "a fresh catalyst" to break above $30,000 and enjoy a more extended rally.

Ether ( ETH ) jumped over 5% to recently trade at $1,818 Thursday afternoon. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market value surged as high as $1,858 earlier in the day – its highest level since August.

Litecoin ( LTC ) recently rose 12% for the day to hover at $93. According to Coinglass data, traders liquidated some $3 million of LTC short positions over the past 24 hours, sending the price up from roughly $83 a day ago. Layer 1 blockchain Aptos’ native APT token was up over 7% to sit around $13.

The CoinDesk Market Index , which measures overall crypto market performance, recently climbed around 1%.

"Thursday’s market rally came after investors had already 'priced in' in the possibility that the Fed will not raise the interest rate again this year, said Eric Chen, CEO and co-founder of Injective Labs, the company behind the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Injective.

While central bank Chair Jerome Powell gave no such assurances on Wednesday, the CME FedWatch Tool showed that currently 66% of traders are not expecting a rate hike at the next FOMC meeting, which will take place in May.

In an email, Chen also told CoinDesk that “the Fed’s concerns about inflation may have also fueled interest in cryptocurrencies as a potential hedge against inflation.” He added that the market's spike also coincided with news that Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform Labs, appears to have been arrested in Montenegro, which may have contributed to "short-term volatility."

Meanwhile, equity markets also turned green, recovering some of their Wednesday losses. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq recently closed up 0.3% and 1%, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was up 0.2%.

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy , terms of use , cookies , and do not sell my personal information has been updated . The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies . CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group , which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups . As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights , which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG .

Jocelyn Yang

Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program.

Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter

Learn more about Consensus 2023 , CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.

Jocelyn Yang

Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program.

Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter

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Markets. Bitcoin jumped above $28,800 earlier Thursday before retreating. Ether rose above $1,850, its highest level since August. By Jocelyn Yang. Mar 23, 2023 at 8:31 p.m. UTC. Updated Mar 23, 2023 at 8:50 p.m. UTC. Facebook icon. Linkedin icon. Twitter icon. Bitcoin, March 23, 2023 (CoinDesk) Alex Thorn. Head of Firmwide Research. Galaxy. Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023. Secure Your Seat. Alex Thorn. Head of Firmwide Research. Galaxy. Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023. Secure Your Seat. Facebook icon. Linkedin icon. Twitter icon. Jocelyn Yang. Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program. Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter. Alex Thorn. Head of Firmwide Research. Galaxy. Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023. Secure Your Seat. Alex Thorn. Head of Firmwide Research. Galaxy. Hear Alex Thorn share his take on "Bitcoin and Inflation: It’s Complicated” at Consensus 2023. Secure Your Seat. Bitcoin ( BTC ) was hovering above $28,000 Thursday as major cryptocurrency assets shrugged off the U.S. Federal Reserve’s 25-basis point rate hike and ongoing concerns about the banking sector and future monetary policy decisions. BTC, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was recently trading at around $28,200 Thursday afternoon, up over 4% in the past 24 hours. Just hours earlier, BTC had jumped as high as $28,800 amid at least temporarily renewed confidence in riskier assets. The BTC/USD trading pair on the Coinbase exchange rose to $28,839 at one point, according to data from TradingView. "The recent crypto rally has been fueled by bank runs that have led many to become skeptical with traditional banking, given all the vulnerabilities with deposit flights," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at foreign exchange market maker Oanda, wrote Thursday. Moya believes that BTC needs "a fresh catalyst" to break above $30,000 and enjoy a more extended rally. Ether ( ETH ) jumped over 5% to recently trade at $1,818 Thursday afternoon. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market value surged as high as $1,858 earlier in the day – its highest level since August. Litecoin ( LTC ) recently rose 12% for the day to hover at $93. According to Coinglass data, traders liquidated some $3 million of LTC short positions over the past 24 hours, sending the price up from roughly $83 a day ago. Layer 1 blockchain Aptos’ native APT token was up over 7% to sit around $13. The CoinDesk Market Index , which measures overall crypto market performance, recently climbed around 1%. "Thursday’s market rally came after investors had already 'priced in' in the possibility that the Fed will not raise the interest rate again this year, said Eric Chen, CEO and co-founder of Injective Labs, the company behind the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Injective. While central bank Chair Jerome Powell gave no such assurances on Wednesday, the CME FedWatch Tool showed that currently 66% of traders are not expecting a rate hike at the next FOMC meeting, which will take place in May. In an email, Chen also told CoinDesk that “the Fed’s concerns about inflation may have also fueled interest in cryptocurrencies as a potential hedge against inflation.” He added that the market's spike also coincided with news that Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform Labs, appears to have been arrested in Montenegro, which may have contributed to "short-term volatility." Meanwhile, equity markets also turned green, recovering some of their Wednesday losses. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq recently closed up 0.3% and 1%, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was up 0.2%. DISCLOSURE. Please note that our privacy policy , terms of use , cookies , and do not sell my personal information has been updated . The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies . CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group , which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups . As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights , which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG . Jocelyn Yang. Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program. Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter. Learn more about Consensus 2023 , CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now. Jocelyn Yang. Jocelyn Yang is a markets reporter at CoinDesk. She is a recent graduate of Emerson College's journalism program. Follow @ _jocelynyang_ on Twitter. Read more about. Bitcoin. Ether. Markets. Fed. Trading. Investing.