The minutes of the US Federal Reserve (FED) meeting have been published. According to the minutes, the FED decided to significantly slow down the pace of reducing its balance sheet last month. However, some participants stated that there was “no convincing reason” for this decision. Policymakers almost unanimously agreed that the U.S. economy faces risks of both rising inflation and slowing growth, according to the minutes, with some members noting that the Fed may face “tough choices.” The meeting, held on March 18-19, came after the Trump administration’s first tariff plan. This has created uncertainty in the economic outlook and led participants to advocate for a more cautious approach. It was stated that if inflation becomes persistent, interest rates could be kept high for a long time, and if the economy weakens further, interest rate cuts could be on the agenda. The Fed minutes showed that inflation has slowed significantly over the past two years but is still above the agency’s long-term target of 2%. Some participants noted that inflation figures for the first two months of the year were above expectations. The slowdown in housing inflation parallels a cooling in the rental market, while inflation in the non-housing services sector remains high. Price increases in non-market services in particular have drawn attention. Related News: Tariff War Heats Up: Insiders Reveal China's New Secret Critical Move Some members, who noted that core goods inflation had increased, said that this could be linked to the impact of rising tariff expectations. The minutes also stated that inflation could increase this year due to the impact of higher tariffs, but there was great uncertainty about how long this effect would last. As noted by Nick Timiraos, a Wall Street Journal columnist and “Fed spokesman,” Fed officials last month highlighted the risks of persistent tariff-related inflationary pressures when they decided to keep interest rates steady. “Most participants noted that inflationary impacts from a variety of factors could last longer than they expected,” the minutes said. Policymakers believe that current interest rates are “well positioned” to combat potential risks. However, if the labor market weakens, interest rates could be cut; if inflation worsens, rates will be held steady. Some members noted that the Fed may have to “strike a difficult balance” if inflation persists and the growth and employment outlook weakens. *This is not investment advice. Continue Reading: JUST IN: FED Minutes Released – Here’s All You Need to Know
China and Russia are now reportedly settling select energy transactions using Bitcoin, according to a recent report by investment firm VanEck. The move marks a shift away from the U.S. dollar-dominated financial system and comes amid heightened global trade tensions. VanEck’s Head of Digital Assets Research, Matthew Sigel, confirmed the development, stating that the adoption of Bitcoin ( BTC ) for trade settlement is evolving beyond speculation. “That interest is no longer theoretical. China and Russia have reportedly begun settling some energy transactions in Bitcoin and other digital assets,” he wrote in a recent report. In addition to China and Russia, Bolivia has announced plans to import power using cryptocurrency. French utility giant EDF is also exploring Bitcoin mining to monetize surplus electricity. You might also like: BREAKING: Bitcoin reclaims $81K amid tariff pause, China still hit with 125% rate Crypto’s use cases VanEck’s report places these developments within a broader shift: digital assets are increasingly being used in practical, cross-border commerce, especially in energy markets. For countries facing restrictions in traditional finance channels, Bitcoin offers a neutral and decentralized payment mechanism. The shift may also bolster Bitcoin’s role as a hedge during monetary instability. Sigel noted that dovish signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve have historically supported Bitcoin prices, adding further interest from international players seeking alternative reserves and settlement tools. You might also like: U.S. House hearing reignites crypto regulation push, hopes for clarity ‘this year’
Goldman Sachs is worried that the drop in stock prices will get worse. Goldman Sach’s economists are likely to move their base case to a recession if the tariffs are implemented as President Trump promised. The company’s Dominic Wilson said , “ We think there is a high chance that we continue to push toward full recession pricing, which would imply weaker equities, wider credit spreads, a deeper Fed cutting cycle, and higher longer-dated equity volatility.” The market is still not priced for an average recession There has already been a big change in cyclical pricing. However, Goldman Sachs’s growth benchmarking exercises suggest that the market is still not priced for an average recession. Comparing past events with present times shows that bigger drops in equity usually accompany recessions. That’s not all. Recessions come with much bigger drops in the Fed funds rate than are priced. Dominic Wilson said, “Among common recession gauges, only the VIX is at levels associated with past recession peaks: longer-dated equity volatility, credit spreads, and the yield curve are not.” In addition, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, said on Monday that many business leaders think the US economy is already in a big downturn. He added that many CEOs he has talked to believe we are already in a recession. He also said that he thinks President Trump’s policies on tariffs could make prices rise and make it harder for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. This is something the central bank usually does during recessions. Economists warn Trump’s tariffs could push the U.S. into a recession — Goldman Sachs now says there's a 45% chance, while JPMorgan predicts it's even higher at 60%. pic.twitter.com/41Ex2N1fzu — NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) April 8, 2025 Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said Wednesday that he thinks the US economy will likely go into recession. JPMorgan experts think the US gross domestic product will drop 0.3% this year. This is a mild recession call, but it comes after a year of strong growth. Markets are steady as nations continue to make policies Anxiety about the tariffs going into effect has caused stocks to drop for four days in a row. Tuesday was even more volatile. At one point, the S&P 500 went up more than 4%, but by the end of the day, it had lost 1.6%. At its peak for the day, the 30-stock Dow went up 3.9%, but by the end of the day, it had gone down 0.8%. It’s almost 19% below its all-time high. Today, the S&P 500 went up as traders looked for a bottom in the market after days of volatility. It added 0.4% to the broad market average. There was a small gain of 67 points, or 0.2%, in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Nasdaq Composite went up 1.2% at the same time. However, China and the EU announced taxes on US goods in response to the US announcement. This is the latest development in the global trade war. Shortly after the market opened Wednesday, President Donald Trump urged investors to remain calm in a post on Truth Social. Trump also added, “this is a great time to buy.” China said it would put an 84% tax on U.S. goods starting Thursday. This comes after 104% taxes on Chinese goods entered into effect in the US just after midnight. The EU also approved to put tariffs on goods coming from the US for the first time, which will begin on April 15. Also, tariffs on goods coming into the US from other countries went into force. Canada said again on Tuesday that it will put 25% tariffs on US-made cars as a response. This includes cars that don’t follow the rules of the USMCA agreement. In addition, parts of fully built USMCA-compliant cars that were brought into Canada from the US and that aren’t from Canada or Mexico are included. Cryptopolitan Academy: Coming Soon - A New Way to Earn Passive Income with DeFi in 2025. Learn More
Bitcoin rises 8% as Trump announces a 90-day tariff pause for all countries except China, causing a market rally. The post Bitcoin jumps 8% after Trump announces 90-day tariff pause for all countries but China appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
The ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States have once again influenced the cryptocurrency market, leading to significant price movements. In a surprising turn of events, Bitcoin surged
Bitcoin’s recent price fluctuations have captured investor attention, especially as its futures market undergoes significant adjustments. The reduction in leverage within Bitcoin’s futures market suggests a shift towards a healthier
In a surprising move, Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause on tariffs affecting all countries except China, signaling potential shifts in both trade and cryptocurrency markets. The announcement has
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had authorized “substantially lowered” reciprocal tariffs across the world, prompting Bitcoin and stocks to roar back into form. From his Truth Social account, Trump said that over 75 countries “have called Representatives of the United States” to discuss trade negotiations after Trump’s onslaught of global tariffs last week. This prompted him to lower he reciprocal tariffs on those countries to 10%, effective immediately. “Thank you to your attention on this matter,” Trump stated. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he sat with the President and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as Trump crafted the post. “The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction,” he tweeted Wednesday. China’s tariffs remain in place, and have been increased to 125%, due to their “lack of respect” for global markets, Trump said. Following the announcement, BTC surged from $77,000 to $81,900 at writing time. Per Coinglass, over $169 million in shorts have been liquidated in the past hour. BTC / USD. Source: TradingView The post Bitcoin Bounces Back To $81k As Trump Eases Global Tariffs appeared first on CryptoPotato .
China’s central bank has instructed major state lenders to scale back their purchases of US dollars in a bid to stem the yuan’s rapid decline, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The move is Beijing's latest bid to prevent a sharp depreciation of its currency amid mounting economic pressures stemming from escalating trade tensions with the United States. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued the guidance this week through “window guidance,” an informal policy tool used to guide market behavior without official announcements. State banks were told to avoid buying U.S. dollars for their own private accounts, three people said. One source added that banks were asked to exercise stricter control when executing dollar orders for their clients, which he interpreted as a crackdown on speculative trading. Today, state-owned lenders were seen intervening in the onshore foreign exchange market, selling US dollars and buying yuan to slow the pace of depreciation. The onshore yuan has fallen about 1.3% this month to 7.35 per dollar, while the offshore yuan briefly hit a record low overnight. Related News: After Declines, Donald Trump's Project Also Couldn't Resist: They Started Selling Altcoin, Here's What They Did Despite pressure from U.S. tariffs and Beijing's retaliatory measures, the PBOC has resisted calls to devalue the yuan sharply. Three policy advisers and one banker familiar with the central bank's stance told Reuters any depreciation would be kept modest so as not to shake market confidence. “There will be no sharp depreciation as it could hurt market confidence, but a modest depreciation would help exports,” one of the advisers said. “We should also help key businesses through subsidies, tax rebates or market diversification.” The intervention signals the PBOC's continued prioritization of financial stability as an escalating U.S. trade war with sweeping tariffs, including a 104% tariff on some Chinese goods by President Donald Trump, threatens China's export-reliant economy. A weaker yuan could boost export competitiveness by lowering the price of Chinese goods abroad, but analysts warn that a steep devaluation could trigger capital outflows and jeopardize financial stability. *This is not investment advice. Continue Reading: Tariff War Heats Up: Insiders Reveal China’s New Secret Critical Move
Bitcoin’s (BTC) f utures market reflects a possible price cooldown after the cryptocurrency’s multiple weeks of correction. Data from CryptoQuant indicated that the BTC-USDT futures leverage ratio with respect to open interest (OI) has halved since peaking in early 2025. Bitcoin estimated futures leveraged ratio. Source: CryptoQuant This significant de-leveraging has occurred because of massive liquidations over the past few weeks, which has effectively taken a majority of traders out of the market. Thus, the current market conditions indicate a healthier market reset, which is not overheated and could potentially pave the way for a steady price recovery. Bitcoin’s open interest dropped 28% from $71.8 billion on Dec. 18 to $51.8 billion on April 8. This underscores the magnitude of the current deleveraging event. Although this may induce short-term volatility, as few market players might control the price, it also positions BTC for stability in the long term, offering an advantage in the current uncertain trend. Related: Bitcoin futures divergences point to transitioning market — Are BTC bulls accumulating? $70K Bitcoin is the worst-case scenario, says analyst In an X post, Sina, the co-founder of 21st Capital, presented an update on his Bitcoin Quantile Model and said that “Bitcoin is getting significantly de-risked here.” Bitcoin Quantile Model. Source: X.com The analyst explained that Bitcoin might have already completed 75-80% of its correction, declining from $109,000 to $74,500. Historically, prices have fallen by as much as 34% during the six-to-eight-week span of such trends. Currently, Bitcoin has dropped 31% from its all-time high, and a further decline to $72,000-$70,000 would bring it to approximately 34%. Sina added, “Absent a recession, $70K is my worst-case scenario. While the macro backdrop remains grim and further sell-off is possible, we think Bitcoin is deeply undervalued for a long-term investor.” However, the likelihood of an immediate recovery remains low, as Bitcoin researcher Axel Adler Jr. expects BTC to move sideways in the “volatility corridor.” Bitcoin support and resistance level. Source: X.com The volatility corridor identified a price range of $75,000 to $96,000, outlined with the help of short-term holders’ realized prices over different time periods. Adler Jr. said that it was possible that BTC would consolidate between these levels over the next few weeks but warned that the price must hold a position above the 365-day simple moving average. A break below the key indicator could potentially lead to a new yearly low below the $74,500 level, with the ideal price being $70,000, as noted earlier. Related: Trump tariffs reignite idea that Bitcoin could outlast US dollar This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.