Crypto Market Ignores Fed Chair’s Warning of Rate Hikes, Altcoins Rally

The broader crypto market has rallied an additional 3% over the last 24 hours taking the overall market cap above $1.4 trillion. This market strength continues to prevail despite Fed Chairman Jerome Powell appraising that they won’t hesitate to raise interest rates further if the inflation doesn’t sink below their desired target of 2%.

Fed Chair Issues Warning

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell expressed optimism about the easing inflation rate but admitted uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of recent policy measures. Powell acknowledged the ongoing challenge against inflation during remarks at an International Monetary Fund event in Washington, D.C., just over a week after the central bank’s decision to maintain benchmark rates. He said:

“The Federal Open Market Committee is committed to achieving a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2 percent over time; we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance”.

Powell acknowledged that inflation currently exceeds the desired levels set by the Fed and characterized the current policy as “significantly restrictive.” Despite inflation remaining elevated compared to the central bank’s longstanding target, it has moderated from its earlier peaks in the first half of 2022.

The Federal Reserve implemented an assertive tightening strategy with 11 consecutive rate hikes, marking the most aggressive policy adjustment since the early 1980s and bringing the benchmark rate from nearly zero to a targeted range of 5.25%-5.5%.

The current stand by the Fed negates analysts’ expectations that the rate hike could be coming as soon as March 2024.

Altcoin Market Rally

After Bitcoin’s strong push to $37,000 earlier on Wednesday, altcoins also joined the mega rally and continue to hold strong. The Ethereum price has registered a strong 10% price surge amid BlackRock filing for a spot Ethereum ETF. With the recent price surge, ETH is eyeing the next target of $2,500.

In addition to Ethereum, various altcoins have surged in the recent market rally. Chainlink, a provider of oracle services, has experienced a notable 100% increase in its value over the past three weeks. Meanwhile, Polygon, Ethereum’s layer-2 platform, is undergoing a significant upswing, with its native token MATIC aiming for the $1 mark. Along with ETH, the Solana price has also shot up 7% moving closer to $50.

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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.

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The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.