Bitcoin Holds Near $100.6K as Fed Signals Pressure Markets; AI Tokens Continue to Outperform
Bitcoin slipped to $100,600 on Friday, marking another week of declines as cautious remarks from the Federal Reserve weighed on investor sentiment. The drop came alongside broad weakness in the crypto market, though AI-related tokens continued to show resilience.
The latest pullback adds to a difficult month for digital assets. Bitcoin (BTC) has now fallen around 18% over the past 30 days, while Ether (ETH) traded near $3,270, extending its retreat from the $3,400 level. The CoinDesk 5 Index (CD5) and CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) each dropped roughly 3% in the past 24 hours, reflecting continued market softness.
Investors remain cautious following comments from Fed officials earlier in the week suggesting that the pace of interest rate cuts could slow. The shift strengthened the U.S. dollar and dampened risk appetite across asset classes.
Altcoins, apart from AI-focused projects, have underperformed. The Altcoin Season Index fell to 22/100, its lowest point in more than three months — highlighting waning momentum beyond bitcoin and a narrowing field of outperformers led by AI tokens.
