Decentral Block Post

Bitcoin (BTC) charged above $22,000 on July 27 after the United States Federal Reserve enacted another major interest rate hike.

Fed: "Appropriate" to keep hiking after July

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD reacting positively to confirmation that the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) had unanimously voted to hike the Fed funds rate by 75 basis points.

"The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2% over the longer run," a press release stated.

"In support of these goals, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 percent and anticipates that ongoing increases in the target range will be appropriate."

Markets had already expected that 75 basis points would be the Fed's next move. Commentators, however, increasingly considered the implications of the central bank's balancing act between taming inflation and avoiding recession going forward.

Bitcoin (BTC) traders may be nervous going into the Federal Reserve rate hike decision, but research suggests that the bulls are broadly gaining ground.

In a fresh update on July 26, analytics firm Arcane Research flagged what it calls "improving" sentiment among institutional traders.

Caution mixed with "improving sentiment"

While attention has focused on the likelihood of a deeper macro low for BTC/USD to come, it appears that not every investor cohort is ready to run for the exit.

Even at current prices 70% below all-time highs, the mood among institutions is strengthening. For Arcane, the proof is in the rising premium being paid by CME Bitcoin futures clients.

This premium, while still low by historical standards, has been sloping upward through the second half of July.

Ethereum Classic (ETC) continues to reap benefits from its blockchain rival Ethereum's upcoming transition from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS). 

Vitalik Buterin likes Ethereum Classic

Notably, ETC's price jumped by a little over 20% to reach $27.50, two days after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's endorsement of Ethereum Classic went viral across social media. In his comments, Buterin presented the chain as a "fine" PoW alternative to Ethereum.

The statements appeared amid fears that Ethereum's potential network upgrade this September will force PoW miners elsewhere. 

In other words, they would be looking for alternative PoW networks to ensure that their rigs remain functional. That could benefit Ethereum Classic since it's the original version of Ethereum and could therefore ensure an easy migration for miners.

ETC technical outlook

Impressively, ETC price has rebounded by over 120% since mid June, making it the standout performer over the past month. Nonetheless, it is still down over 85% versus its May 2021 record high of $185, suggesting that its ongoing retracement move could technically be a bull trap.