$60,000 and Beyond — Bitcoin's Rollercoaster Amid AI and Fed Moves
By John Nada·Jun 25, 2026·2 min read
Bitcoin slips below $60,000 amid ETF outflows and Fed's hawkish stance. AI stocks rebound, but crypto faces its own challenges. Analysts warn of a potential crypto winter.
Bitcoin slid below $60,000 this week amid continued outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs, a more hawkish Federal Reserve, and a stronger dollar. Analysts warn that the cryptocurrency's approach to its 200-week moving average may signal an impending crypto winter, according to CoinDesk.
The shift in Bitcoin's price comes as crypto markets faced turbulence, reflecting broader economic shifts. Bitcoin fell to about $59,200 late Wednesday but rebounded to around $60,700 on Thursday, down 2.9% over 24 hours and 5.4% on the week, CoinDesk data showed. Major cryptocurrencies broadly followed suit, with Ether, XRP, and Solana posting steeper weekly losses. Tron, however, bucked the trend, gaining 1.9%.
Meanwhile, technology stocks, particularly those tied to AI, saw a rebound. Micron Technology, the largest U.S. memory chip maker, jumped about 15% following a stellar sales forecast, sparking renewed confidence in AI spending. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1.8%, and South Korea's Kospi surged as much as 6%, reflecting the optimism spilling over from the tech sector.
Gold & Silver Struggle as Fed's Hawkish Moves Weigh Heavy
Gold and silver prices remain under pressure as hawkish central banks and inflation fears weigh heavy.
The crypto market isn't shaking off the pressure yet. The break below $60,000 mirrors ongoing outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs and the Fed's hawkish stance, coupled with a U.S. dollar climbing to a seven-month high, noted Alex Kuptsikevich of FxPro in an email to CoinDesk. A stronger dollar makes dollar-priced assets like Bitcoin costlier for foreign buyers, pulling funds out of risk trades.
FxPro highlighted a longer-term concern: Bitcoin is hovering near its 200-week moving average, a critical long-term trend line. Historically, when Bitcoin touches this line, the weakness tends to persist—nine months in 2015, six months in 2018, and roughly six quarters after the 2022 collapse. This pattern suggests a prolonged period of depressed prices, a crypto winter, rather than a swift recovery.
The immediate test for Bitcoin is the U.S. inflation data due later, via the Fed's preferred price gauge. A higher reading could reinforce the hawkish Fed outlook and strong dollar, putting further pressure on crypto markets. Conversely, a softer reading might ease these pressures. Either way, Bitcoin and its peers aren't riding the coattails of oil and war headlines anymore. Their woes are homegrown, driven by ETF outflows and tepid demand—a lesson in the delicate dance between crypto and broader economic forces.