Bitcoin holds $76,000 on 2026-09-18

1. FED HIKES RATES, BTC HOLDS $76,000
The Fed raised rates by 25bp to 3.75%-4.00%, its first hike since July 2023, with a unanimous 12-0 vote. Bitcoin traded around $76,300-$76,574, up about 0.64%-0.97% over 24 hours. Although the dot plot signaled possible further hikes, BTC dipped to $75,064.82 and then recovered above $76,000.

2. ETH, SOL AND ALTCOIN ROTATION
ETH traded around $2,442-$2,450, up 1.72%-2.20% in 24 hours; Solana gained 2.76%-3.95%, trading near $101.22-$101.41. Altcoin rotation was strong: NEAR +17%, Uniswap +20%, Hyperliquid +5.62%-6.11%, Zcash +16.35%-17%. On Bithumb, Travala jumped 74.8%, the biggest gainer in Korea. This rotation suggests traders are seeking returns outside Bitcoin after the Fed decision.

3. LIQUIDATION DATA DIFFERENCES ACROSS SOURCES
Some sources reported 150,510 traders liquidated for $1.83 billion in 24 hours, mostly longs, according to Coinglass. Another source reported total liquidations at $154.52 million, with shorts accounting for 76.73%. The large difference may come from data timing, but both show leverage was flushed around the Fed announcement.

4. SPOT BTC ETFS SEE OUTFLOWS BUT PRICE REBOUNDS
U.S. spot BTC ETFs recorded about $746.31 million in net outflows over Sep 15-16. Despite this, BTC price rebounded, indicating spot demand or internal rotation absorbed the pressure. This is notable because ETF flows often influence market sentiment.

5. MARKET SENTIMENT NEUTRAL
The Fear & Greed Index stood at 50, neutral, total crypto market cap around $2.63 trillion, up 1.14% in 24 hours. 24-hour volume was about $79.2 billion, and BTC dominance ranged from 58.1% to 58.64%. Neutral sentiment suggests investors are waiting for more signals after the Fed meeting.

6. U.S. SENATE REJECTS CLARITY ACT
The CLARITY Act failed in the U.S. Senate by a 49-50 vote, leaving crypto regulation mostly unchanged. This matters because expectations for clearer U.S. crypto rules remain delayed.

What to watch today: U.S. spot BTC ETF flows after the Fed decision and whether BTC can hold the $76,000 level.

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