Bitcoin Retreats After Fed Cut as Futures Show Resilient Positioning

Bitcoin fell sharply after the Fed signaled limited further rate cuts and amid cautious market reaction to the Trump–Xi meeting, with ETFs seeing record daily outflows since mid-October.

BTC

Summary

Bitcoin dropped 3.8% to $108,572, briefly hitting $107,925, after the Federal Reserve’s second 2025 rate cut to 3.75%–4% was accompanied by Chair Jerome Powell’s warning that further easing this year is uncertain. Market expectations for a December cut fell from 90% to 71%, weighing on risk assets. The decline also followed mixed sentiment from the Trump–Xi meeting, despite announcements on soybean purchases and rare-earth agreements. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs registered $470.7 million in outflows, the largest since October 16, ending a four-day inflow streak. The Fed is nearing the end of Quantitative Tightening by December, having reduced its balance sheet by nearly $1 trillion since 2022, but decisions remain data-dependent.

Terms & Concepts
  • Quantitative Tightening (QT): A monetary policy where the central bank reduces its balance sheet by allowing securities to mature without reinvestment, decreasing liquidity in the economy.
  • Spot Bitcoin ETF: An exchange-traded fund that directly holds Bitcoin, giving investors exposure to its price movements without owning the asset themselves.