Fed hikes rates, Bitcoin holds near $76,000 on September 17, 2026

1. FED HIKES RATES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2023
The U.S. Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate target range to 3.75%–4.00%, marking its first hike since 2023. Bitcoin briefly dropped to $75,355 within an hour of the announcement, then recovered to near $75,813. The rate decision was the main catalyst behind the market’s swings on September 17, though BTC’s 24-hour decline narrowed from earlier in the session.

2. BITCOIN TRADES AROUND $76,000 WITH MIXED QUOTES
Figures from different exchanges show notable gaps. CoinNess reported BTC at $76,077.62 on the Binance USDT market; OKX recorded $76,009.9, with the 24H decline narrowing to 0.17%. TokenPost put BTC at $76,013.83, down 0.11% from the previous day. Some sources said BTC briefly broke above $76,500, while a Thai reference exchange quoted $75,942, up 0.65% over 24 hours. On South Korea’s Upbit, BTC traded at 104,758,000 KRW, up 1.72% from the prior close.

3. ETH CLIMBS BACK ABOVE $2,400
Ethereum traded near $2,400 in the morning session. TokenPost recorded ETH at $2,406.48, down 0.31% from the previous day; Binance spot data showed ETH breaking above $2,400 to $2,409, up 0.47% in one hour. On HTX, ETH briefly surged to $2,430. ETH’s recovery remains weaker than Bitcoin’s, with short-term resistance still nearby.

4. ALTCOINS DIVERGE FROM THE BROADER TREND
Among altcoins, Hyperliquid rose 2.28% over 24 hours, while Tron gained 0.80%. On the downside, Dogecoin fell 0.79%, a larger decline than XRP (-0.07%) and BNB (+0.03%). Solana edged up only 0.24%. This suggests short-term flows are concentrated in a few individual assets rather than spread across the market.

5. DERIVATIVES LIQUIDATIONS AND WEAK US DEMAND
According to CoinGlass, $261.73 million in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated over 24 hours, with shorts accounting for 54.46% of liquidations. The Coinbase Premium Index remained negative for seven straight sessions at -0.0205%; on September 15 it fell to -0.079, a one-month low. US buying on Coinbase appears weaker relative to Binance.

6. MARKET CAP AND DOMINANCE
Total crypto market capitalization reached $2.5909 trillion, with 24-hour trading volume of $88.33 billion. Bitcoin dominance stood at 58.93%, while Ethereum dominance was 11.34%. BTC’s dominance was little changed, indicating that altcoins have yet to stage a clear breakout after the Fed event.

Key watch today: Whether Bitcoin can hold the $75,300–$76,000 support zone after the rate shock, along with spot ETF flow reactions.

*Information is aggregated for reference only and is not investment advice.*