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Markets’ hopes for Fed interest rate cuts are rapidly fading away

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Fed's next rate decision almost certainly a pause, says former Fed vice chair Roger Ferguson

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reacts during a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on interest rate policy, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 28, 2026.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

As both energy prices and inflation fears pop, expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts are sliding.

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Traders in recent days have abandoned hopes of an early summer easing from the central bank, a change in thinking that coincided with the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran and a burst in oil prices to around $100 a barrel.

Prior to the conflict, the market anticipation had been for a quarter percentage point rate reduction in June, likely another one in September, and an outside chance of even three depending on how the economics played out, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch calculations.

Much of the thinking behind that approach was that a softening labor market, moderating inflation and a new dovish chair coming on board in May would push the Fed into an easing posture. But at least as long as the Iran drama plays out, the expectations now are that fighting inflation will remain paramount.

“A higher inflation path will make it harder for the Fed to start cutting soon,” Goldman Sachs economists said in a Wednesday note.

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Fed's next rate decision almost certainly a pause, says former Fed vice chair Roger Ferguson

The firm officially adjusted its rate forecast pushing back the next cut to September from June. However, Goldman’s economists still think the Fed could lower once more before the end of 2026.

“If the labor market weakens sooner and more substantially than we expect, we do not think that concern about the impact of higher oil prices on inflation and inflation expectations would be an obstacle to earlier rate cuts,” they wrote.

An elusive second cut

Other market players aren’t so sure.

Traders in the fed funds futures market have taken even a September cut off the table and now see only one coming, in December, according to the CME gauge.

There are no additional cuts priced in until well into 2027 or even into the early part of 2028, despite the presence of presumptive new Chair Kevin Warsh, picked by President Donald Trump ostensibly for a willingness to ease aggressively. Current Chair Jerome Powell leaves the position in May.

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Whether that outlook holds up likely will depend on how things play out in the Middle East. Should the situation improve, it could reinstall a sense of normalcy to the markets and renew hopes for more easing.

Even with Brent crude settling above $100, Trump again called on Powell to cut.

“Where is the Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome “Too Late” Powell, today? He should be dropping Interest Rates, IMMEDIATELY, not waiting for the next meeting!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The Fed will get another look at inflation data Friday morning when the Commerce Department releases the personal consumption expenditures price index data for January. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect core PCE, a key focus for Fed officials, to show an increase to 3.1% on the annual inflation rate.

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A reading like that would represent a 0.1 percentage point gain from December as well as a step further away from the Fed’s 2% goal. It also would indicate that inflation pressures were percolating well ahead of the Iran strike and might well give officials even further pause about the prospects for lower rates.

Bank of America economist Stephen Juneau said in a note that while some important components — housing, in particular — are showing signs of stabilizing or receding, inflation otherwise “has been rangebound and remains above levels consistent with 2% core PCE.”

“The upshot is that the Fed should not be in a rush to ease rates further,” Juneau said.

The rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee issues its next rate decision March 18. Traders are assigning a nearly 100% probability to the committee staying on hold.

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Polymarket rolls out stock and commodity contracts with Pyth price feeds

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Polymarket rolls out stock and commodity contracts with Pyth price feeds

Polymarket has partnered with oracle provider Pyth Network to launch traditional asset markets on its platform.

Summary

  • Polymarket partnered with Pyth Network to introduce equity, commodity, and stock-linked contracts.
  • The new markets include daily up or down and closing price contracts that reset at the end of each trading session.
  • Pyth Network is providing real-time price feeds from trading firms and market makers to serve as the resolution layer for the new contracts.

According to an Apr. 2 announcement, the latest addition brings daily up-or-down and closing price contracts for major equity indexes, alongside commodities such as gold and oil, and US-listed stocks. Outcomes on these contracts are determined using Pyth’s real-time price feeds, and the markets reset at the end of each trading session.

Pyth Network will act as the resolution layer for these markets, replacing manual or exchange-specific references with a standardized data source aggregated from trading firms and market makers.

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Simultaneously, Pyth has launched a data interface called Pyth Terminal, allowing users to track live price feeds and the reference values used to settle markets on Polymarket.

Oracle networks like Pyth bring off-chain data such as prices, foreign exchange rates, and commodities onto blockchains. These feeds are widely used across decentralized finance, prediction markets, and tokenized asset platforms, and have seen growing adoption, including by US government agencies.

PYTH price rallied over 70% after the announcement, while its market capitalization moved past $1 billion.

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The latest products on Polymarket were launched as the platform continues to cement its position as a leading prediction market operator.

Last month, the project secured a $600 million investment from Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, as part of a broader multibillion-dollar commitment.

Meanwhile, Polymarket made investments of its own by acquiring DeFi infrastructure startup Brahma for an undisclosed sum.

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Whale Turns Bearish Ahead of $2 Billion Bitcoin and Ethereum Options Expiry

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A whale accumulated more than 2,000 Bitcoin (BTC) put contracts overnight, targeting a move below $66,000, just as over $2.15 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) options settle on Deribit today, April 3.

The back-to-back repositioning signals that at least one large player sees downside risk in BTC’s current price range, even as call open interest still outnumbers puts across both assets.

Why the Whale Trade Matters

Options analytics platform Greeks.live flagged the position shift on April 2, noting the same whale had closed a profitable long trade hours earlier before pivoting bearish.

Per the analysts, the whale entered a long position at $66,000 and exited above $68,000, booking a confirmed profit.

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Within hours, a trader of comparable size began accumulating put contracts, this time betting on a move lower.

The rapid reversal is notable. A whale exiting a winning trade and immediately loading the opposite direction suggests a view that the $66,000–$68,000 zone is a resistance ceiling, not a launchpad.

Bitcoin Price Performance
Bitcoin Price Performance. Source: TradingView

With BTC trading at $66,575 and its max pain level set at $68,000, the spot price sits $1,425 below the level where options sellers profit most. If BTC fails to close that gap before settlement at 08:00 UTC, the bearish whale’s puts gain value.

The Expiry Data

Bitcoin accounts for $1.84 billion of today’s total notional value, with 27,590 contracts outstanding. Call open interest stands at 17,930 against 9,600 puts, giving a put-to-call ratio of 0.54.

Bitcoin Expiring Options
Bitcoin Expiring Options. Source: Deribit

The call skew still leans bullish in aggregate, but the whale’s 2,000-contract put position adds concentrated downside weight near the $66,000 strike.

Ethereum’s expiry is smaller but similarly structured. With $319.9 million in notional value and 156,083 total contracts, ETH trades at $2,052 against a max pain level of $2,075. Its put-to-call ratio of 0.72 points to heavier downside hedging than BTC’s.

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Ethereum Expiring Options. Source: Deribit

“Yesterday, the whale closed out the two positions on the right side… The whale entered the position at 66K and closed it out above 68K — this trade was a resounding success. Starting late last night, a whale of similar size began buying put options again, with over 2,000 contracts expiring today, targeting a price below 66K,” the analysts stated.

What Comes Next

Options settle at 08:00 UTC on Deribit. The hours leading up to that window typically generate the sharpest gamma hedging activity, pulling prices toward max pain.

For BTC, that means a potential drift toward $68,000 if bulls hold ground, or a break below $66,000 if the whale’s put bet plays out.

The post Whale Turns Bearish Ahead of $2 Billion Bitcoin and Ethereum Options Expiry appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Bitcoin Supply in Profit and Loss Closer to 2022 Bear Market Levels

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Bitcoin Supply in Profit and Loss Closer to 2022 Bear Market Levels

The amount of Bitcoin supply in profit and loss is now getting closer to levels typical of a bear market, according to a CryptoQuant analyst.

There are currently about 11.2 million Bitcoin (BTC) in profit. The previous bear market recorded 9 million BTC in profit at its lowest point, CryptoQuant analyst “Darkfost” said Thursday. 

CryptoQuant data also shows there are about 8.2 million Bitcoin at a loss, with Glassnode data confirming it’s at levels not seen since late 2022. 

“This is quite significant, considering that during the last bear market this figure reached about 10.6 million BTC,” Darkfost said. 

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Analysts have been debating whether Bitcoin has further to fall this year amid growing global turmoil. Bitcoin metrics that show a movement toward previous cycle lows could suggest that a market bottom is getting closer. 

“This suggests that the market is reaching a notable level of undervaluation, comparable to the conditions observed during the previous bear market,” the analyst added. 

Bitcoin in profit and loss at bear market lows. Source: CryptoQuant 

Analyst sees increasing market stress, not undervaluation 

However, Andri Fauzan Adziima, research lead at the Bitrue exchange, argued the data signals “increasing market stress, not immediate undervaluation.”

True capitulation bottoms saw deeper pain, he told Cointelegraph. The supply in loss in 2022 was greater than 50% and the supply in profit was around 45% or lower, while metrics such as net unrealized profit/loss (NUPL) and market value to realized value ratio (MVRV) were at “extremes.”

“Current data points to early/mid-bear transition (potential structural bottom near $55,000), with more downside or consolidation likely before a full reset.”

Related: Bitcoin’s drawdown is ‘less dramatic’ this cycle, Fidelity says

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Data also shows Bitcoin has declined by about 52% from its all-time high this cycle, much less than previous bear markets, which saw 77% to 84% drawdowns from their cycle highs. 

Strong dollar hampering recovery 

Bitcoin author Timothy Peterson commented on X that Bitcoin “tends to struggle when the dollar is strong, and the Chinese yuan is weak.”

He added that this was due to tighter global liquidity, with higher dollar yields attracting capital into cash and bonds and cautious investor sentiment as China eases policy.

That only changes when US interest rates fall and “dollar yield loses its attractiveness,” which is not likely until the second half of 2026 or more likely 2027, he said. 

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The US dollar index (DXY) has gained about 5% over the past two months, according to TradingView. 

DXY has strengthened since late January. Source: TradingView

Magazine: Your guide to surviving this mini-crypto winter