Bitcoin struggled to sustain a 1.25% advance to $76,800 after U.S. initial jobless claims fell to 196,000, below the 207,000 forecast. The data strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated after its 25-basis-point increase to 3.75%–4.00% on Wednesday. The Fed’s projections put the median federal funds rate at 4.1% by the end of 2026, implying another quarter-point increase before year-end. Higher rates can support government-bond yields, increase leverage costs and weigh on non-yielding, risk-sensitive assets such as Bitcoin. BTC later traded near $76,051 after the post-data gain, following a volatile week that saw it approach $80,000 before falling below $75,000. Analysts identified $77,500 as the first key resistance, followed by zones between $80,500 and $82,000, while support remained near $75,584 and a liquidation cluster near $74,600. Broader pressure also came from the Senate’s failure to advance the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, which received 50 votes in favor and 49 against, below the 60 needed.