Bitcoin Holds Near $81,000 as Traders Wait on Fed Chair Warsh and Midterms

By Coinvote

Published October 28, 2026 - 15:25 UTC | 5 mins read

CoinDesk reported that bitcoin rose above $81,000 on Wednesday after falling below $80,000 earlier in the week, ahead of the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates. The outlets agree a hold is likely but differ on ETF flows and the size of the altcoin bounce.

Bitcoin climbs back above $81,000 before the Fed speaks

CoinDesk reported that bitcoin gained about 2% to just above $81,000 in Asian morning hours on Wednesday, with the Fed's interest-rate announcement due later that day. A second CoinDesk report described the move as a recovery from a weekend slip to nearly $79,000.

The rebound followed a rough start to the week. CoinDesk's live coverage said selling hit nearly every major token on Monday, and bitcoin slipped below $80,000 for the first time in over a week. Bitcoin Magazine wrote that the price bounced from an early low near $79,400 on Tuesday and spent most of the day around $80,500.

A separate CoinDesk market report tied the latest leg higher to a rally in Asian chip stocks. It said South Korea's Kospi index jumped 6.6% after SK Hynix surged around 11% on a sevenfold jump in profit, and that bitcoin reached $81,400.

Why a central bank meeting is driving the tape

According to Bitcoin Magazine, the central bank lifted its target range in September and has kept it between 3.75% and 4% since. The magazine added that policymakers have hinted at a further hike before the year closes.

The CoinDesk live blog said conventional wisdom points to a "hawkish hold", meaning unchanged policy paired with firm language that prepares markets for a December hike. CoinDesk cited CME's FedWatch tool at around a 92% chance of no change.

Bitcoin Magazine cautioned that the odds it had seen reported were from early October and had likely moved. The mechanism is straightforward. Per CoinDesk, a hike raises borrowing costs and usually draws capital away from higher-risk holdings such as crypto. That is why the tone of Chair Kevin Warsh's press conference matters as much as the decision itself.

The numbers behind the bounce

The figures below come from the outlets' reports, with the market levels they cite.

Bitcoin: just above $81,000 in one CoinDesk account and above $81,400 in another, against a Tuesday range of roughly $79,400 to $80,800 per Bitcoin Magazine Pro data.
Ether: about $2,360 in CoinDesk's live coverage, up 2%.
Fed target range: 3.75% to 4%, with CME FedWatch showing around a 92% chance of no change.
Spot ETF flows: $176 million of inflows on Tuesday, a second straight day, according to CoinDesk.
Oil: WTI crude at $101.70 and Brent at $111.16 per barrel, both higher on the day.

Where the outlets agree and where they differ

All four reports place bitcoin near $80,000 to $81,400 and treat the Fed decision as the main event. They differ on spot Bitcoin ETFs. CoinDesk reported $176 million of inflows on Tuesday, a second day of gains, while Bitcoin Magazine said the funds have been shedding money. The two claims may cover different windows, and neither outlet explains the gap.

The size of the altcoin bounce also varies. One CoinDesk report had ZEC up 8% at about $1,320 and HYPE up nearly 5% at about $81. The live blog put ZEC at 5% and HYPE at nearly 6%. The reports were likely written at different moments, since the live blog also noted that bitcoin slipped by about $1,000 from its highs and returned to about $80,600.

Bitcoin Magazine framed $80,000 as the market's line in the sand and said selling had not turned into panic, with the price mostly inside a band of about $79,000 to $81,000 this week. CoinDesk's reports lean toward the rebound narrative.

Altcoins and memecoins lead the move

Smaller tokens did most of the running. CoinDesk's live coverage said memecoins PEPE and M rose 15% and 11% over 24 hours, while the Bitway token gained 24%. A separate CoinDesk report had pepe up 9% and the CoinDesk Memecoin Index up 1.3%. Readers tracking the sector can compare current meme coin rankings and newly launched meme coins on Coinvote.

Market data shows how limited the recovery is for some majors. Hyperliquid's HYPE trades near $79.96 on CoinGecko, about 10.4% lower over 30 days and below its September high of $97.96. Ether sits at $2,334, down 13.4% over the same period. Bitcoin is down 3.8% over 30 days and far from its $126,080 peak of October 2025.

Bullish calls from Galaxy and Bitwise

CoinDesk reported that on Tuesday Galaxy advised clients to build bitcoin positions. Alex Thorn, who leads firmwide research at the firm, said the downturn probably ended in June, with bitcoin changing hands below $58,000. He pointed to bitcoin's return above its 50-week moving average, lighter selling pressure and rising U.S. debt.

In a Wednesday report, Bitwise raised its long-term target to $1.6 million by 2036 from $1.3 million, according to the live blog. It forecast annualized returns of 34.3% over a decade. It also argued that volatility is easing, since the 50% fall from October 2025 to June 2026 was smaller than earlier bear-market losses of 77% or more.

These are forecasts from firms with views on the asset, not market data. Bitcoin Magazine noted that the price remains roughly 30% below its level of a year ago.

Midterms, earnings and other open questions

Bitcoin Magazine said the November 3 midterms add a second event risk. TD Cowen analysts cautioned that the CLARITY Act could be held up for two years depending on the outcome. Per Bitcoin Magazine, prediction markets put Democratic odds at 90% for the House and 62% for the Senate, which TD Cowen ranked as the worst case for bitcoin. The bill had already lost momentum when a Senate cloture vote failed in September, and lawmakers remain split over ethics provisions and stablecoin yield.

Several other items bear watching. Coinbase reports third-quarter results on Thursday, and CoinDesk said its shares were down 2% pre-market, while Robinhood fell 6.3%. Strategy said 99.3% of preliminary votes backed daily dividends on its preferred stock. Its STRC, yielding 12%, trades at $99.72, just under the $100 par value at which the company could begin issuing shares rather than buying them back. The first record and payment dates are Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

The open question is whether Warsh's language on a December hike lifts or drains the support near $80,000.

Market snapshot

Asset	Price	24h	7d	Market cap
Bitcoin (BTC)	$80,596	+0.4%	-4.0%	$1.62 trillion
Ethereum (ETH)	$2,334	+0.0%	-5.8%	$285.17 billion
BNB (BNB)	$749	+0.6%	+0.4%	$98.48 billion
XRP (XRP)	$1.31	-0.2%	-3.4%	$83.18 billion
Hyperliquid (HYPE)	$79.96	+1.1%	-1.0%	$19.14 billion

CoinGecko data as of 2026-10-28 (UTC).

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FAQ

Why is bitcoin rising ahead of the Fed decision?

CoinDesk linked the move to a rally in Asian chip stocks and to Galaxy's note saying the bear market likely ended in June. Traders also expect the Fed to hold rates at 3.75% to 4%, with CME FedWatch showing around a 92% chance of no change.

What could a December rate hike mean for crypto?

CoinDesk explained that a hike raises borrowing costs and usually draws capital away from higher-risk holdings such as crypto. Bitcoin Magazine said a hawkish surprise would likely push bitcoin toward $80,000 or below, while a hold or softer tone could give buyers room.

How could the November midterms affect crypto?

According to Bitcoin Magazine, TD Cowen warned that a Democratic win in both chambers could stall the CLARITY Act for two years. The firm viewed a Republican sweep as the best outcome for crypto and a split Congress as better than a Democratic win.