Bitcoin stalls at $76K: Key BTC price levels to watch ahead of FOMC

2 days ago

Bitcoin (BTC) traded astatine $74,000 connected Wednesday, 2.6% beneath its six-week precocious of $76,000 reached connected Tuesday, arsenic traders expect volatility aft the US argumentation determination connected involvement complaint cuts. 

Key takeaways:

  • The likelihood of the US Federal Reserve leaving involvement rates unchanged contiguous are 100%.

  • BTC terms whitethorn driblet arsenic debased arsenic $60,000 if enactment betwixt $72,000 and $65,000 breaks.

100% accidental involvement rates won’t change

Data from TradingView shows that aft breaking retired of scope connected Friday, the BTC/USD brace has formed regular candle highs, but was unable to interruption the absorption astatine $76,000

BTC/USD regular chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

With the ongoing Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gathering connected March 17-18, markets could spot volatile terms swings toward cardinal BTC terms levels implicit the adjacent fewer days. The argumentation determination connected the involvement complaint volition beryllium made connected Wednesday astatine 2:00 PM ET.

Related: Bitcoin holds $70K, bringing spot ETF buyers adjacent to breakeven: Is the bull marketplace back?

Polymarket bettors price in a 100% accidental that the existent involvement rates volition stay betwixt 3.5% and 3.75%, leaving little than 1% probability of a 0.25% complaint cut.

Target complaint possibilities for the March 18 FOMC meeting. Source: Polymarket

Futures marketplace traders person besides locked in a 98.9% accidental that the Fed volition permission the involvement rates unchanged, with nary anticipation of a 25 bps reduction.

However, marketplace participants accidental that immoderate downside terms enactment from unchanged involvement rates is already priced in

Meanwhile, determination are other sources of volatility traders person to contend with, including the US and Israel-Iran war, US ostentation concerns and lipid terms spikes, on with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s code aft the FOMC meeting.

US President Donald Trump has again pressured Powell to chopped involvement rates, saying connected Truth Social connected Thursday that the Fed seat should trim borrowing rates immediately. 

Therefore, the marketplace volition keenly ticker Powell’s connection astatine the FOMC quality league to spot if determination is immoderate displacement successful tone.

🇺🇸 TODAY: FOMC determination astatine 2:00 PM ET, followed by Powell's property league astatine 2:30 PM ET.

Will the crypto marketplace pump oregon dump? pic.twitter.com/UQMIspxV35

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) March 18, 2026

“The complaint determination is afloat priced successful truthful debased astonishment risk,” seasoned trader Matthew Dixon said successful an X station connected Wednesday.

The “real volatility catalyst is Powell’s tone,” whether hawkish oregon dovish, Dixon added.

“Jerome Powell is going to marque things dependable arsenic bully arsenic helium tin connected his past meeting. This is his legacy,” crypto expert Sykodelic said, adding:

“I deliberation we spot a large unwinding of hedges aft the gathering and some equities and Bitcoin proceed to juice.”

Crypto trader BitcoinHyper said that the BTC terms moved little aft the past six FOMC meetings.

BTC/USD terms enactment aft FOMC. Source: BitcoinHyper

Key Bitcoin terms levels to watch

Bitcoin indispensable flip the $76,000 absorption level into enactment to people higher highs supra $80,000.

For this to happen, BTC/USD indispensable archetypal clasp its presumption supra the 50-day elemental moving mean (yellow line) connected the regular chart. BTC terms broke supra the 50-day SMA connected March 1 for the archetypal clip since January 1.

If the bulls tin propulsion the terms supra the $76,000-$80,000 absorption level, the adjacent people is the 200-day SMA astatine $87,411.

BTC/USD regular chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

One catalyst for higher prices could beryllium continued request from spot Bitcoin ETFs. On March 17, Bitcoin ETFs registered $199 cardinal successful inflows, marking the seventh consecutive time of affirmative netflows.

The bears, meanwhile, volition effort to support the $76,000 absorption successful place, expanding the likelihood of a driblet backmost into the $72,000-$65,000 range, wherever the 200-week exponential moving mean (EMA) is.

Below $65,000, the adjacent cardinal country of involvement remains betwixt $62,500 and $60,000, which would erase each the gains since Feb. 6.

As Cointelegraph reported, a adjacent beneath the moving averages would tilt the vantage backmost successful favour of the bears, turning the rally implicit the past week into a bull trap.

This nonfiction does not incorporate concern proposal oregon recommendations. Every concern and trading determination involves risk, and readers should behaviour their ain probe erstwhile making a decision. While we strive to supply close and timely information, Cointelegraph does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, oregon reliability of immoderate accusation successful this article. This nonfiction whitethorn incorporate forward-looking statements that are taxable to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph volition not beryllium liable for immoderate nonaccomplishment oregon harm arising from your reliance connected this information.

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