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Bitcoin slips below $70K as US jobs shock reignites Fed Cut bets

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Bitcoin slips below $70K as US jobs shock reignites Fed Cut bets

Surprise February US jobs losses and a higher unemployment rate revive rate‑cut hopes but leave BTC stuck near $70K amid broader risk‑off mood.

Summary

  • The US jobs shed 92,000 in February versus forecasts for a 59,000 gain, a sharp reversal from January’s 126,000 increase.
  • Unemployment rose to 4.4%, above the expected 4.3%, underscoring a more fragile labor backdrop.
  • BTC is pinned around $70,000 as traders weigh softer data against spiking oil, falling equities and shifting Fed‑cut odds.

February’s US jobs report landed as a clean downside surprise: instead of a modest payroll gain, the U.S. economy outright lost 92,000 positions, a swing of more than 180,000 versus consensus and a clear deterioration from January’s 126,000 increase.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4%, overshooting economist expectations and marking a subtle but important break from the “resilient labor market” narrative that has underpinned the Federal Reserve’s higher‑for‑longer stance. On paper, that kind of softness should be a gift to duration assets and high‑beta plays like crypto, because it nudges the Fed closer to rate cuts in the first half of 2026.

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The initial market reaction, however, is more conflicted than the textbook macro trade. Bitcoin (BTC), which had already slid overnight as crude spiked and equity futures rolled over, hovered near $70,000 in the minutes after the release, showing no appetite for an aggressive relief rally. Nasdaq futures are down about 1% and S&P 500 contracts off roughly 0.8%, while the 10‑year Treasury yield has eased to around 4.11%, signaling a modest bid for safety rather than a full‑blown “pivot” euphoria. Classic hedges are perking up instead: gold is up roughly 1%, silver 2%, and WTI crude is surging more than 6% to about $86 per barrel, reflecting persistent geopolitical and inflation risk tied to the Iran conflict.

For crypto, that mix is toxic: yes, weaker jobs data theoretically increases the probability of cuts later this year, but an oil‑driven inflation squeeze and rising recession odds complicate the narrative. If growth slows while energy and food keep headline inflation sticky, the Fed’s room to ease aggressively shrinks, leaving bitcoin trapped between “digital gold” narratives and simple de‑risking alongside tech and high‑beta assets. With BTC stuck near $70K and the CoinDesk 20 under pressure, traders are treating this jobs miss less as a green light to lever up and more as another stress signal in a macro regime defined by war‑driven oil shocks, fragile credit and a Fed that cannot yet declare victory.

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Crypto World

Community Banks, Crypto Industry ‘Are Allies’ In CLARITY Act Clash: Exec

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Cryptocurrencies, Banks, Adoption, United States

A crypto executive has pushed back against claims by the president of a community banking association that any compromise between the banking sector and the crypto industry on the US CLARITY Act would be a mistake.

“If community banks and crypto can’t find a way to work together, we already know who the winners are. It’s not the community banks. It’s not consumers. It’s not the crypto industry,” Zero Knowledge Consulting founder Austin Campbell said in an X post on Friday.

“It is the big banks,” Campbell said.

“There is a very straight line between the value community banks bring,” he said, explaining that they face technological and regulatory issues that can be solved by stablecoins.

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The major banks “have tricked both sides”

“These are not enemies,” Campbell said of stablecoin-yield providers and community banks, adding that “they are allies.”

“The big banks and the bank lobbies they fund have tricked both sides into fighting each other so that the ultimate winner is Jamie Dimon’s bonus,” he said. 

Cryptocurrencies, Banks, Adoption, United States
Source: Patrick Witt

Campbell’s comments came in response to Independent Bankers Association of Texas president Christopher Williston, who said that making concessions in the CLARITY Act debate would risk harming local lending and economic production.

“It’s simply impossible to roll over in the fight for liquidity that powers the economies of the places we call home,” he said.

Banking lobby groups have argued that if the CLARITY Act passes in its current form, stablecoins could siphon deposits from the banking system. Major US bank Standard Chartered recently estimated in a research note that increasing stablecoin adoption could lead to US bank deposits decreasing “by one-third of stablecoin market cap.”

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The debate has also drawn comments from the Trump family this week.

Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, said in a X post on Thursday that large banks are not acting in the best interests of US citizens. “Big Banks (think JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc.) are lobbying overtime to block Americans from getting higher yields on their savings.”

Donald Trump urges the bill to pass “ASAP”

US President Donald Trump also criticized banks for stalling the Senate’s crypto market-structure bill amid ongoing disagreements over stablecoin yield payments.

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Related: Revolut makes second attempt at US bank charter, names new CEO for US business

“The U.S. needs to get Market Structure done, ASAP,” Trump said. “The Banks are hitting record profits, and we are not going to allow them to undermine our powerful Crypto Agenda,” he added.

Magazine: The debate over Bitcoin’s four-year cycle is over: Benjamin Cowen