Bitcoin prices moved sharply lower on Thursday, January 29, 2026, as a mix of macro caution, geopolitical stress, and fading near-term liquidity weighed on risk appetite. After a brief one-day rebound earlier in the week, the broader crypto market reversed course. Total market capitalization fell about 1.7% to $3.06 trillion, while 90 of the top 100 digital assets traded in the red. Trading volumes remained elevated at $124 billion, signaling active repositioning rather than panic selling.
Bitcoin led the pullback among majors, falling roughly 5% intraday to $84,623 at one point before stabilizing higher. Ethereum followed with a sharper percentage decline, while most large-cap altcoins mirrored the move. The weakness comes as markets digest the US Federal Reserve’s first policy decision of 2026, persistent ETF outflows, and renewed geopolitical risk tied to Middle East tensions. Together, these forces are reinforcing a consolidation phase rather than signaling a full-blown trend reversal.
Bitcoin price today: what the numbers say
Bitcoin entered Thursday near $90,315 but slipped below the key $90,000 psychological level during Asian and early European trading. The session low printed around $87,653, before buyers stepped in. On a weekly basis, BTC is down about 2.4%, trading within a $86,319–$90,475 range. That range underscores a market caught between dip buyers and macro-driven sellers.Ethereum also lost ground, trading near $2,942, down about 2.5% on the day and 2.2% over the past week. ETH failed to hold above $3,000, a level that had acted as short-term support earlier in the month. Among other majors, Dogecoin slid roughly 4.5%, Solana fell more than 3%, and Litecoin dropped close to 6%. Binance Coin showed relative resilience with a near 1% decline, while Tron was the only gainer among the top ten.
The Nasdaq Crypto Index echoed the move, falling more than 5%, highlighting that the sell-off was broad-based rather than isolated to one token or sector.
Federal Reserve policy and liquidity remain the core driver
The immediate macro catalyst was the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady at 3.50%–3.75%, a move that was widely expected by markets. The lack of a surprise limited downside volatility, but it also failed to provide fresh upside fuel. Fed Chair Jerome Powell offered no clear signal of imminent rate cuts, reinforcing the message that policy easing is unlikely until later in 2026 unless economic data weakens materially.
Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, said the rate hold preserves existing liquidity without tightening conditions further, which can be constructive for crypto in the near term. However, she emphasized that the current environment favors consolidation over a breakout. In her view, Bitcoin is likely to trade in an $88,000–$91,000 range, with any push toward $95,000 requiring clearer macro support.
From a liquidity perspective, the absence of fresh capital is becoming more visible. US spot ETFs recorded net outflows of about $19.6 million, extending a multi-week trend that has seen more than $140 million leave the products this week alone. Last week’s outflows were even steeper, exceeding $1.3 billion. While spot Ethereum ETFs saw $28.1 million in inflows, the amounts were not large enough to offset broader market pressure.$BTC $ETH $BITCOIN
