Bitcoin sinks below $71,000, stocks close at session lows, as 2026 rate cut hopes fade further

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Bitcoin sinks below $71,000, stocks close at session lows, as 2026 rate cut hopes fade further Fed chair Jerome Powell said rising energy prices are feeding into the inflation outlook, but "nobody knows" yet how lasting the impact will be. By Krisztian Sandor | Edited by Stephen Alpher Mar 18, 2026, 8:19 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) What to know : Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said rising oil prices "for sure showed up" in policymakers' higher inflation outlook for this year, lifting their forecast to 2.7% from 2.4%. He pushed back on comparisons to 1970s-style stagflation, arguing that unemployment is near long-run norms and inflation is only modestly above target. Markets fell further following the Fed meeting results and Powell press conference, with bitcoin sliding back to $70,900 and the Nasdaq closing at its session low, down 1.5%. Bitcoin BTC $ 74,191.24 slipped below $71,000 on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell flagged rising oil prices amid the war in Iran as a new inflation risk. The Fed held interest rates steady as expected, but during his post-meeting press conference, Powell acknowledged that the recent surge in energy prices is already feeding into the central bank’s outlook. "The oil shock for sure shows up" in higher inflation projections, he said, while cautioning that "nobody knows" yet how persistent the impact will be. Policymakers raised their 2026 inflation forecast to 2.7% from 2.4%, underscoring concerns that price pressures could remain elevated longer than anticipated. Despite that, Powell dismissed comparisons to a 1970s-style stagflation, even as the central bank faces growing tension between slowing growth and sticky inflation. "That’s not the case right now," he said, noting that unemployment remains near long-run norms while inflation is only modestly above target. "I would reserve the term stagflation for a much more serious set of circumstances." "What we have is some tension between the goals, and we’re trying to manage our way through it," he added. Cautious markets Already under pressure prior to the Fed news on poor February inflation data and no sign the war in Iran is letting up, markets fell further late in the session. Bitcoin (BTC) price on Wednesday after FOMC (CoinDesk) Bitcoin BTC $ 74,191.24 late Wednesday afternoon had pulled all the way back to $70,900, down almost 5% over the past 24 hours. Ether (ETH) was sporting a 6.5% decline. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at the day's lows, down 1.4% and 1.5%, respectively. Gold extended its decline below $4,850 an ounce, now 3.1% lower on the day at its weakest price in more than a month. Digital asset-related stocks remained sharply lower, following crypto prices. Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate BTC holder, and Bitmine (BMNR), the leading Ethereum treasury firm, were 5%-6% lower. Investment firm Galaxy (GLXY) declined almost 7%, while crypto exchange Gemini (GEMI) tumbled 15% to about its lowest level since it went public last year. Bitcoin News Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Markets More For You Federal Reserve holds policy steady as Iran war adds to growth and inflation concerns By James Van Straten | Edited by Stephen Alpher 2 hours ago Bitcoin remained sharply lower for the session following the expected decision by the U.S. central bank. What to know : As expected, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark fed funds rate range unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%. Bitcoin remained sharply lower on the session, trading at $71,600. Chairman Jerome Powell's post-meeting press conference begins at 2:30 PM ET. Read full story Latest Crypto News Polymarket acquires Brahma to scale blockchain trading infrastructure 23 minutes ago Sam Bankman-Fried's bankrupt exchange FTX set to repay creditors $2.2 billion this month 1 hour ago Kalshi co-founder fights back against Arizona’s ‘overstep’ in what a lawyer calls a federal-state turf war 2 hours ago Federal Reserve holds policy steady as Iran war adds to growth and inflation concerns 2 hours ago The era of cheap money is over as the Iran war creates a permanent 'inflation floor' 3 hours ago Crypto Long & Short: When price stops working, yield starts mattering 4 hours ago Top Stories Crypto exchange Kraken freezes multibillion-dollar IPO plan due to difficult market conditions 5 hours ago Key U.S. senator on crypto market structure bill negotiation: 'We think we've got it' 5 hours ago Trump-linked American Bitcoin's BTC holdings overtake Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital 4 hours ago Former Binance CEO CZ waves off accusations on Iran, terror ties 4 hours ago Traders can now bet on the S&P 500 around the clock without ever touching a traditional stock exchange 5 hours ago Bitcoin quickly pulls back to $71,000 as Iran fears team up with poor U.S. inflation data 7 hours ago