Bitcoin faced this week’s second major Washington catalyst on Sep. 16, with the Federal Reserve hiking the interest rates after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act a day earlier.
The Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to raise the federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00%, its first increase since 2023. The Fed said inflation “remains elevated” and that the move would support a timelier return to its 2% target.
The unanimous hike puts the central bank directly at odds with President Donald Trump, who has called for lower borrowing costs and said earlier this month that the U.S. “should be paying the lowest interest rate in the world.”
The CLARITY Act, which would establish a federal market structure for digital assets and clarify oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), failed to advance Tuesday in a 49-50 Senate cloture vote. It needed 60 votes to proceed.
The Fed decision matters for Bitcoin because higher interest rates increase yields on lower-risk assets and tighten financial conditions, typically creating a tougher environment for speculative assets.
Related: CLARITY Act setback sends Coinbase, Circle stocks lower
Whale moves $122 million in Bitcoin
Hours before the Fed announcement, a large Bitcoin holder moved 1,604 BTC, worth about $122.1 million, between two unidentified wallets.
Blockchain transaction tracker Whale Alert recorded the transaction at 12:20 UTC on Sept. 16, when Bitcoin was priced near $76,052. The transaction carried a fee of just 0.000001 BTC.
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The transfer does not, by itself, indicate that the Bitcoin was sold. Both the sending and receiving addresses were labeled as unknown wallets, meaning there is no clear evidence that the funds were moved to an exchange or other venue where they could immediately be sold.
Still, the timing stands out, coming hours before a Fed decision that markets expect could produce a rate hike and one day after the CLARITY Act setback added pressure.
Bitcoin steadied after Tuesday’s sharp losses and the Fed’s decision today to raise rates by 25 basis points.
The move suggested much of the hike had already been priced in, with the broader crypto market also stabilizing after the initial risk-off reaction.
Bitcoin was trading near $75,921 at the time of writing.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on Sep 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.