Bitcoin OGs dump over $100 million in BTC after hawkish Fed dents rate cut hopes

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Bitcoin OGs dump over $100 million in BTC after hawkish Fed dents rate cut hopes OGs sell as Fed's hawkish stance on rates pressures crypto and other risk assets. By Omkar Godbole Mar 19, 2026, 7:19 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Bitcoin OGs dump their holdings. (Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk) What to know : Bitcoin OGs sold over 1,650 BTC worth $117M after a hawkish Fed decision. Fed signaled only one rate cut this year, hurting risk‑asset sentiment. Tighter‑for‑longer outlook pressures crypto and other risk markets. Bitcoin's BTC $ 70,565.84 biggest early holders, often called original gangsters, are hitting the sell button after the Federal Reserve rattled expectations for lower borrowing costs. Blockchain data tracked by Lookonchain shows at least two long-term holders together dumped over 1,650 BTC worth more than $117.87 million early Thursday. One veteran whale who previously sold an 11,000‑BTC stack, added another 650 BTC to his dump, while a separate early‑adopter OG with a 5,000‑BTC stash offloaded a full 1,000 BTC. Bitcoin's price dipped nearly 1% to $70,600 soon before press time, extending Wednesday's 3.5% slide from $74,500, according to CoinDesk data. The broader market wilted, with the CoinDesk 20 Index 3% to 2,056 points. Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), solana (SOL), and DOGE $ 0.09454 suffered similar losses. The decline followed a hawkish Fed rate decision on Wednesday, when the central bank left the benchmark borrowing cost unchanged in the 3.5%–3.75% range but signaled a slower pace of rate cuts ahead, disappointing risk‑asset bulls. The hawkish tone came through the so‑called interest‑rate "dot plot," which shows where the Fed's voting members expect interest rates to land in the months ahead. The median projection indicated only one rate cut this year, despite recent labour-market weakness. Moreover, only two committee members remained in the two‑cut camp, and Chair Powell's own personal projection moved higher. "The higher for longer narrative has been reinvigorated by sticky inflation and the inflationary shadow cast by rising energy costs, forcing investors to abandon their dreams of a rapid easing cycle," Matt Mena, crypto research strategist at 21shares, said in an email. Taken together, these developments pointed to a central bank still wary of inflation and this has led to a sharp repricing of bets on Fed rate cuts. Trading on the decentralized platform Polymarket and pricing in the CME Fed funds futures, now implies around an 80% probability of just one rate cut this year, versus a 62% probability of two to three rate cuts a month ago. This outlook for tighter liquidity is not supportive of risk-taking in financial markets. Bitcoin News Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) More For You Forget market hours: Leading ETP firm just opened 24/7 liquidity for tokenized stocks, gold and money market funds By Omkar Godbole 52 minutes ago ETP market giant Flow Traders just launched 24/7 over-the-counter (OTC) liquidity service for tokenized assets. What to know : ETP market giant Flow Traders just launched 24/7 over-the-counter (OTC) liquidity service for tokenized assets. Institutions can now manage risk on digital stocks, gold, and money market funds, even when traditional markets are closed. The service directly addresses the frustration of being stuck as global events erupt over weekends or during after market hours. Read full story Latest Crypto News Forget market hours: Leading ETP firm just opened 24/7 liquidity for tokenized stocks, gold and money market funds 52 minutes ago SEC approves Nasdaq's move to support tokenized securities trading 10 hours ago Fairshake's $10 million Illinois misfire marks first big hitch in crypto political surge 10 hours ago Bitcoin sinks below $71,000, stocks close at session lows, as 2026 Fed rate cut hopes fade further 11 hours ago Polymarket acquires Brahma to scale blockchain trading infrastructure 11 hours ago Sam Bankman-Fried's bankrupt exchange FTX set to repay creditors $2.2 billion this month 12 hours ago Top Stories Crypto exchange Kraken freezes multibillion-dollar IPO plan due to difficult market conditions 16 hours ago Kalshi co-founder fights back against Arizona’s ‘overstep’ in what a lawyer calls a federal-state turf war 13 hours ago Federal Reserve holds policy steady as Iran war adds to growth and inflation concerns 13 hours ago Key U.S. senator on crypto market structure bill negotiation: 'We think we've got it' 16 hours ago Trump-linked American Bitcoin's BTC holdings overtake Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital 15 hours ago Former Binance CEO CZ waves off accusations on Iran, terror ties 15 hours ago In this article BTC BTC $ 70,565.84 ◢ 4.49 % DOGE DOGE $ 0.09454 ◢ 5.00 %