U.S. Fed Announced Another Rate Cut While Crypto Bulls Struggle for Clear Direction

But while Wall Street typically cheers cheaper borrowing costs, investors entered this announcement with mixed feelings. The economy is slowing, labor momentum is fading, and even the crypto market’s flagship asset – Bitcoin – remains unable to hold a firm foothold above $90,000.

One meeting earlier, the Fed had lowered rates by 25bps in a 9–3 vote, shifting the benchmark target to 3.5%–3.75%, with officials Schmid and Goolsbee dissenting in favor of holding policy steady — a sign that divisions over the pace of easing were already brewing beneath the surface.

A Warning Signal Behind the Cut

This latest move lowers policy rates by 25bps and reinforces the idea that the Fed is now actively trying to manage, not prevent, a downturn. Inflation progress gave officials room to cut, but the more troubling signal comes from hiring trends. The labor market, once the engine of post-pandemic resilience, is clearly losing steam.

Job openings nudged higher into October, driven largely by seasonal hiring, but the underlying signals don’t match that bump. Hiring stalled, layoffs accelerated, and the quits rate – a barometer of worker confidence in finding another job – dropped to its lowest reading in five years. Workers aren’t leaving their posts because they don’t believe better opportunities are available. That reality undercuts the Fed’s victory narrative, highlighting fragility beneath headline numbers.

Crypto Traders Still Waiting for Bitcoin’s Big Break

Bitcoin’s price reaction tells a different story than equities. Instead of taking off on rate-cut optimism, Bitcoin remains stuck, hesitating around the $92K mark despite earlier momentum. Traders expected cheaper capital and a weakening dollar to lift digital assets higher, but the market hasn’t followed that script. The inability to break and hold above psychological levels is feeding concerns that macro easing alone won’t be enough to ignite the next leg higher.

Some analysts argue that institutional positioning is cautious, while others point to thinning liquidity and resistant selling pressure. The longer Bitcoin bulls fail to gain control of the market, the more it raises questions about whether risk appetite is truly back or simply waiting for confirmation on economic direction.

Stock Market Rebounds, but Not Without Anxiety

Stocks initially slipped ahead of the meeting but regained footing as Powell delivered the expected cut. Yet enthusiasm is hardly euphoric. Traders know the Fed is cutting because growth is cooling, not because the economy is roaring. Treasury yields retreated and the U.S. dollar weakened after the decision, reflecting expectations for slower momentum.

Bitcoin ETF Inflows Return as Price Holds Above $92K

Powell’s voice still carries weight, but this moment may mark his final clean policy call. His term ends in May, and President Trump has already signaled an intention to put a successor in place early. That creates what analysts describe as a “shadow chair” dynamic – a transition period where Powell leads publicly but may operate under diminished political authority. Markets are watching closely, uncertain how consistently policy signals will be interpreted through that shift.

What Comes Next

Lower rates typically mean cheaper mortgages, easier corporate borrowing, and a more accommodative environment for risk assets. But the backdrop complicates the picture. A weakening labor market and cautious consumer sentiment could mute the stimulative effect. If job insecurity rises, people spend less – an outcome that could undercut the very recovery rate cuts aim to protect.

Bitcoin traders, meanwhile, are testing whether macro easing will finally unlock momentum or whether the market needs fresh catalysts such as ETF flows or structural demand growth. For now, both the crypto and stock markets are reacting less like confident bulls and more like tactical observers.

The Fed delivered exactly what markets expected. The question is whether the economy – and its investors – are prepared for where this easing cycle ultimately leads.