NEW YORK, March 18, 2026, 3:28 PM EDT

Bitcoin slipped under $72,000 on Wednesday, dropping roughly 4.5% to $71,292 by the afternoon. Earlier, it had surged as high as $74,798 before pulling back, as traders responded to the Federal Reserve’s call to hold rates steady and maintain just one quarter-point cut for the year. Reuters

That’s significant, since it halted bitcoin’s climb after the token touched $73,949 on Tuesday. Oil, inflation, and U.S. rate moves are still setting the pace for markets—even after the Securities and Exchange Commission finally released long-anticipated guidance on which digital assets count as securities. Reuters

Ether slipped 6.2% to $2,191, while XRP shed 4.6%. Shares tied to crypto…