Bitcoin Pauses Post-Fed as Altcoin Sell-Off Intensifies

Bitcoin Stuck in Range Post-Fed as Altcoins and Memecoins Lag

Bitcoin remains range-bound despite the Federal Reserve’s recent 25-basis-point rate cut, while altcoins and memecoins struggle to gain traction amid shifting investor behavior.

BTC ($90,237.24) has spent the past week trapped between $88,000 and $94,000, with the market reacting unevenly to the Fed’s move. Typically, rate cuts boost risk assets as cash yields fall, but bitcoin briefly dipped below $90,000 before recovering to the upper end of its range. The CoinDesk 20 Index is up 0.57% since midnight UTC.

Altcoins remain weak. Tokens including JUP ($0.2021), KAS ($0.04612), and QNT ($79.72) have faced double-digit weekly losses, reflecting subdued risk appetite.

Derivatives & Market Flows

BTC’s 30-day implied volatility (Volmex BVIV) has fallen to its lowest since Nov. 10, with ETH volatility similarly subdued.
Deribit data shows put biases intact across BTC and ETH. Calendar spreads dominate block flows.
Futures open interest is climbing for ZEC (+16% to 2.28M), HYPE, SUI, and SOL, while BTC and ETH OI remain steady.

Altcoin and Token Trends
Privacy coins lead gains, with ZEC up 9% in the past 24 hours. AAVE, HYPE, and LIDO saw intraday recoveries, though weekly performance remains muted. CoinMarketCap’s altcoin season indicator sits at a cycle low of 16/100. Memecoins lag heavily, with the CoinDesk Memecoin Index down 59% YTD versus a 7.3% decline for the CoinDesk 10.

The decline of memecoins highlights a shift from retail-driven speculation to institutional influence. ETFs and digital asset treasury strategies are reshaping market dynamics, favoring measured, steady gains over hype-driven trading.