Bitcoin advanced in the afternoon of this Wednesday, 19, after the decision of the Federal Reserve (Fed, the U.S. central bank) to maintain the interest rate, boosting the New York stock exchanges and favoring risk assets.
Around 3:55 PM (Brasilia time), Bitcoin was up 4.12%, priced at $85,392.99, while Ethereum rose 7.2%, trading at $2,030.02, according to Binance.
The Fed's decision was already expected by analysts, amid uncertainties generated by Donald Trump's economic policy, especially regarding import taxation. The market predicts another maintenance of the current level at the next Fed meeting in May, with a rate cut expected only in June, according to FedWatch data from CME.
"No surprises in today's decision. GDP was slightly downgraded across the projection, the unemployment rate was projected to be higher this year, and the overall PCE a bit higher in 2026. More importantly, the committee is clearly focused on the negative risks to GDP and the positive risks to inflation and unemployment," wrote analysts from CIBC Capital Markets.
In a statement, the monetary authority highlighted that the U.S. economy continues to expand solidly, while the unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level. According to the document, of the 19 members of the monetary authority, 9 see two more rate cuts in the upcoming meetings, two project three cuts, while four do not see any cuts and four foresee only one cut.