Will the Fed stop rate hikes? 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week

cointelegraph.com:

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week in an unmistakably bullish position as it passes $28,000.

Crypto markets continue to climb on the back of the banking crisis, which still rages in the United States and abroad — where will they go next?

After a week of chaos for macro markets and solid gains as a result, Bitcoin and altcoins are circling levels, which some have not seen for nine months.

The 2022 bear market is feeling like an increasingly distant memory as old resistance levels tumble and bulls attempt to cement newly-reclaimed support.

This week, as last, there are all sorts of potential hurdles to overcome — the Federal Reserve will decide on its next interest rate changes and new macroeconomic data will drop.

Markets will likely stay volatile as a result, and any further unexpected events from the banking sector will only add to the instability.

At the same time, Bitcoin’s own ecosystem is set to become stronger than ever as network fundamentals launch to fresh all-time highs.

Cointelegraph takes a look at five of the key phenomena to keep an eye on when it comes to BTC price action in the coming week.

The macro event of the week is undeniably the March 22 Fed decision on interest rate hikes — or lack of them.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) faces a stark challenge to its current quantitative tightening (QT) policy in place for the past eighteen months.

The unfolding banking crisis has put into doubt the Fed’s ability to keep raising interest rates, a policy which commentators argue was the death knell for struggling regional banks.

The Fed is nonetheless caught between a rock and a hard place. Raising rates would keep inflation in check but further punish the economy, possibly unleashing a new wave of bank failures.

“Next