Bitcoin briefly reached $76,499 and later neared $77,000 after the Federal Reserve unanimously raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4%, its first increase since July 2023. The move had been widely anticipated, but Fed officials signaled further tightening, with 16 of 18 policymakers projecting at least one additional increase by the end of 2026; Goldman Sachs subsequently forecast another hike in October and CME FedWatch odds rose above 50%. Market reactions varied by timing: an initial session saw the Dow fall 1.2%, the S&P 500 decline 0.4% and gold lose more than $30 to settle at $4,263 an ounce, while a later update reported the S&P 500 up 1% and the Nasdaq up as much as 1.5%. The dollar and Treasury yields rose, pressuring non-yielding assets, while Zcash rallied after Paradigm disclosed holdings and investment in the Zcash Open Development Lab.