Bitcoin price inched lower on Tuesday as investors waited for the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting on monetary policy.

The benchmark cryptocurrency slipped by $44.70, or 0.44 percent, to $10,217.84 as of 13:09 UTC. The downside price action occurred on the sidelines of better-performing alternative cryptocurrencies. While the second-most valuable blockchain Ethereum climbed 2.18 percent against bitcoin, XRP became the second-largest gainer against the king cryptocurrency after rising 5.97 percent. Other altcoins, including Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and EOS, also registered impressive gains.

Bitcoin slips as altcoins surge higher this Tuesday | Image credits: TradingView.com

There is a notion that bitcoin didn’t live up to its “safe-haven asset” status in the face of an adversary. Recent drone attacks on two Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production facilities ended up messing an already worsening global economic outlook. The US’ S&P 500, China’s CSI, and Europe’s Stoxx 600 each dwindled as investors digested the long-term prospects of the Saudi attack. Analysts believe the incident would halt the global oil supply for months, the effect of which will start reflecting on the health of the international markets. 

“While the ultimate impact will depend on a combination of the extent of damage, the US and Saudi response, and whether further attacks occur, the current production decline will exacerbate the tightening in the oil market that was already underway and could add a more lasting geopolitical risk premium to prices,” Greg Sharenow, a portfolio manager at Pimco, told FT.

Almost all the haven assets responded positively to the Saudi attacks. Gold and Treasuries rose as investors looked at them as hedging assets. Unfortunately, bitcoin didn’t live up to the expectations.

The Fed Meeting

All eyes are now on the Federal Reserve meeting that commences today. Markets expect the US central bank to cut interest rate by a 25 basis-point, as the Fed chair Jerome Powell continues to face political pressure from President Donald Trump. Powell’s office will update its dot plot, a visual representation of the direction of the interest rates, while the chairman himself will address the attendees tomorrow with a final decision.

Federal Reserve poised to cut interest rates this week as Trump keeps up pressure https://t.co/UnhCoAcPpH pic.twitter.com/L0bfAMDVjH

— The Hill (@thehill) September 17, 2019

Changes to the dot plot could see influence from the ongoing US-China trade war and Saudi attacks. It would also consider Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s September fund manager poll that found that 38 percent of investors expect a recession over the next 12 months.

Bitcoin Bulls At It

Speculators in the cryptocurrency market see rate cuts as bullish for bitcoin. Coupled with the launch of Bakkt’s most-awaited physically-settled bitcoin futures, traders predict at least a $10,700 bitcoin by the end of this week. But to this date, Bitcoin has least reacted to any of such updates, as visible in the cryptocurrency’s dismissive performance after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced fresh rate cuts and quantitative easing rounds last week.

Dan Tapeiro, the founder of New York-based DTAP Capital, meanwhile brings in a technical perspective. The analyst on Monday said bitcoin could accelerate higher if it manages to “strongly close over $10,700.” The level roughly matches shoulders with a descending trendline.

Bitcoin chart is very close to upside breakup. Strong close over 10,700 trendline should really accelerate. pic.twitter.com/2BWHjEVxa0

— Dan Tapiero (@DTAPCAP) September 16, 2019

He, meanwhile, added:

“Everyone “knows” that fact already. In traditional markets, when everyone knows the fact it is considered “priced in.” In Bitcoin, you never know what’s priced in. But it doesn’t matter because Bitcoin doesn’t care about your opinion.”

To sum up, bitcoin can go up, but it can go down also.

Do you think Fed rate cuts will push bitcoin price past $10,700 this week? Let us know in the comments below.

Images via Bitcoinist Image Library, BTC/USD charts by TradingView, Twitter: @thehill, @DTAPCAP

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