Bitcoin holds near $77K despite hawkish Fed, CLARITY Act setback and weak ETF

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The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Read Today's Paper Bitcoin holds near $77K despite hawkish Fed, CLARITY Act setback and weak ETF demand. Here is what experts sayBy Surbhi Khanna, ET OnlineLast Updated: Sep 18, 2026, 02:41:00 PM ISTSynopsis

Bitcoin held near $77,000 despite a hawkish Federal Reserve, weak crypto ETF flows and a Senate setback for the CLARITY Act. Experts said the cryptocurrency remains in a cautious recovery phase, with support around $76,000-$76,100 and resistance near $76,850-$77,000, while volatile ETF flows signal investor caution.

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Loading...×Bitcoin traded near the $77,000 mark on Friday despite a hawkish Federal Reserve, the Senate setback for the CLARITY Act and weak ETF demand. The cryptocurrency was last seen trading at $77,719 mark.

In the past 24 hours, Bitcoin gained 1.73%, while Ethereum rose 1.96% to trade around the $2,490 mark. Among major altcoins, BNB, XRP, Solana, Tron, Hyperliquid, Dogecoin and Cardano gained up to 11.29%.

Riya Sehgal, Research Analyst at Delta Exchange, said the resilience is notable given that spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw roughly $592 million in combined outflows earlier this week

Crypto TrackerTOP COINS (₹) Tether95 (0.0%)Bitcoin7,688,520 (-2.92%)BNB68,135 (-3.3%)XRP124 (-4.2%)Ethereum224,407 (-5.59%)Also Read |Defence funds deliver 19% returns in 2026, HDFC Defence Fund leads. Should investors chase the rally or stay cautious?

Sehgal further said for now, the market appears to be consolidating rather than reversing decisively. Buyers are defending support, but stronger follow-through is needed before the broader trend improves.

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The global crypto market capitalisation rose 2.16% to $2.67 trillion on Friday, according to CoinMarketCap. Market sentiment remained in the “greed” zone, with the Fear & Greed Index at 65, according to CoinDCX Research.

Over the past week, Bitcoin and Ethereum fell 1.94% and 1.29%, respectively. Among major altcoins, XRP, Solana, Tron, Hyperliquid, Dogecoin and Cardano declined by up to 6.01%, while BNB gained 1.18%.

Riya Sehgal added that the crypto markets have moved into a recovery phase after a highly volatile Federal Reserve session, but the broader technical structure still remains cautious.

Also Read |Capitalmind Flexi Cap Fund adds Divi’s Laboratories, Bajaj Auto and 3 other stocks in August

Market perspective

Prateek Gupta, Head of Business, Mudrex: Bitcoin recovered toward $77,000 alongside US equities after the Fed raised rates to 3.75-4%. Officials signaled at least one more hike this year, while inflation is now not expected to return to target until 2029. ETF flows remain weak and volatile, with Bitcoin and Ethereum funds seeing $1.11 billion in combined outflows over two days.

CoinSwitch Markets Desk: BTC shrugged off the Federal Reserve's first rate increase since July 2023, a 25 basis point hike to 3.75%-4% , holding steady near $76K. That resilience points to underlying spot demand, even as ETF outflows hint investors being cautious.

Vikram Subburaj, CEO, Giottus: Bitcoin is trading around $76,443 as the market continues to digest the Federal Reserve’s September 16 rate hike. With spot demand yet to show a decisive recovery, Bitcoin remains vulnerable to volatility. For investors, this is a market where patience is preferable to aggressive leverage.

Nischal Shetty, founder, WazirX: Bitcoin trades near $77,680 in short-term consolidation, with daily indicators showing a mixed but constructive structure. Immediate support lies around $76,000-$76,100, while $76,850-$77,000 forms resistance. Holding support could stabilize momentum.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
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