Bitcoin and Ethereum prices continued to fall on Friday after the US Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged earlier this week. Investors are worried because the Fed signaled that interest rates could stay high for longer and may even rise later in 2026.
Expectations for interest rate cuts in 2026 have become very weak after the Fed's latest meeting. Higher interest rates usually hurt assets like cryptocurrencies because they do not pay interest to investors. A stronger US dollar has also added pressure on cryptocurrencies, along with other assets such as gold and silver.
Bitcoin price falls further. Bitcoin opened at $62,882.88 on Friday, June 19, 2026, which was 2.4% lower than Thursday's opening price. By 8:30 a.m. ET, bitcoin had dropped further to $62,498.60. Bitcoin's opening price was 1% lower than one week ago. Bitcoin's opening price was 18.3% lower than one month ago. Bitcoin's opening price was 40% lower than one year ago.
Ethereum also moves lower. Ethereum opened at $1,709.13 on Friday, which was 2.2% lower than Thursday's opening price. By 8:30 a.m. ET, ethereum had fallen to $1,687.60. Like bitcoin, ethereum continued its decline after the Fed's policy announcement.
The biggest reason behind the latest fall in bitcoin and ethereum prices is the Fed's message that borrowing costs could stay high for longer. Investors often move money away from riskier assets like cryptocurrencies when interest rates are expected to remain high. The combination of a stronger dollar and higher-rate expectations has created additional selling pressure in the crypto market.
