Crypto Market Wrap October 29: Bitcoin Holds Above $81,000 After Fed Hold

Bitcoin held above the $81,000 level on Thursday, October 29, 2026, as the crypto market digested the United States Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged, closing a session that had been dominated for days by caution ahead of the announcement. This crypto market wrap October 29 finds Bitcoin ending the October 28 trading day at $81,254, up 0.8 percent from its $80,638 open, after trading in a range between $80,330 and $81,632. Ethereum closed at $2,357, up 0.6 percent, while the total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.69 trillion, up 1.1 percent over 24 hours, with Bitcoin accounting for about 60.2 percent of that total. The gains were modest rather than explosive, and that restraint itself tells an important story: traders got the outcome they expected, but not the clear guidance many had hoped would unlock a stronger rally.

The mood across the market was cautiously constructive. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index read 51, squarely neutral, unchanged from the previous day. Breadth was positive, with 31 of the 50 largest crypto assets rising and 12 falling, and the median move was a gain of 0.6 percent. Uniswap stood out among the top 30 assets, rising 2.6 percent to $7.22, while Binance Coin gained 2.2 percent to $759, Solana added 1.2 percent to $102.32, and Dogecoin rose 1.1 percent to $0.0797. XRP was almost flat at $1.32, down 0.1 percent, and Tron slipped 0.6 percent to $0.3295. The pattern was not a broad speculative surge; it was a steady, selective recovery in which buyers returned in measured amounts after the central bank removed one major uncertainty from the calendar.

Crypto Market Wrap October 29: The Fed Holds Rates at 3.75 Percent to 4.00 Percent

The Federal Open Market Committee concluded its October 27 to 28 meeting by keeping the federal funds target range unchanged at 3.75 percent to 4.00 percent, pausing after a quarter-point increase in September that had been the first rise in three years and two months. The vote was 10 to 2, with Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack dissenting in favour of an additional 25-basis-point increase. The committee described economic activity as expanding at a solid pace, noted that inflation remained elevated, and said future decisions would depend on incoming data as it seeks to return inflation to its 2 percent target. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, who took office in May 2026, warned that inflation was still excessively high and did not confirm whether there would be another increase in December, keeping the possibility of further tightening alive.

That split vote matters for how this crypto market wrap October 29 should be read. A hold is not the same as a pivot toward easier money, and the two dissents for a hike show that pressure for tighter policy remains inside the committee. Markets had largely priced in the hold, with rate futures before the meeting implying about a 90 percent chance of no change, so the decision itself produced only a limited immediate reaction. What traders were really listening for was tone, and the tone was cautious: the Fed is waiting for more information, inflation data and employment reports will shape the December meeting, and no outcome for that final meeting of the year, scheduled for December 8 to 9, has been promised. In the hours after the announcement, Bitcoin had traded around $80,600 before the decision, climbed toward about $81,500, and then gave back part of the gain, a pattern consistent with a market that had already positioned for a hold and found no new reason to chase prices higher.

Bitcoin Price October 29: A Narrow Range With Clear Levels

The Bitcoin price October 29 picture is one of consolidation inside a fairly tight band, and the levels traders are watching are now well defined. Immediate support lies near $80,770, followed by $79,440, according to market commentary published on October 29, while resistance sits around $81,950, with $82,800 as the next level above that. Other analysis from the same session put the near-term battle in slightly different terms, focusing on whether the $80,700 to $81,000 support zone can hold and whether Bitcoin can break decisively above the $81,500 to $81,750 resistance zone. The differences in exact numbers reflect different data providers and time stamps, but the message is the same: Bitcoin is coiling, buyers and sellers are in rough balance, and a sustained move in either direction would signal the market’s next leg.

Context helps explain why the range matters so much. Bitcoin sits about 36 percent below its all-time high of $126,080, reached on October 6, 2025, and its seven-day change at the October 28 close was negative 2.7 percent, even though the day itself was positive. That combination, a positive day inside a negative week and a deep drawdown from the peak, is typical of a market trying to form a bottom rather than one already in a confirmed uptrend. Buyers have repeatedly defended the $80,000 area, and the reclaim of $81,000 after the Fed decision shows that defence is still holding. Yet every attempt to push much higher has so far met selling, which suggests that larger holders and short-term traders alike are using rallies to reduce risk rather than add to positions aggressively.

Liquidations Show Shorts Caught Off Guard

Derivatives data from the session underline how one-sided positioning had become before the Fed announcement, and how the modest rally still hurt traders who had bet on further falls. Crypto markets recorded $150.3 million in forced position closures over 24 hours through 8:08 p.m. Eastern Time on October 28, with short positions accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total, at $97.7 million, against $52.6 million in long liquidations, across 35,906 liquidation orders. Bitcoin led the breakdown at $36.4 million, including $25.1 million in shorts and $11.4 million in longs, followed by Ether at $35.8 million, split between $24.6 million in shorts and $11.2 million in longs. Solana recorded $9.6 million, Zcash $5.1 million, and Pepe $4.3 million, with shorts exceeding longs for each of the six listed assets. The largest single liquidation was a $3.6 million Bitcoin short on Binance.

A separate tally covering the 24 hours to 00:55 UTC on October 29 put total liquidations at $167.7 million, with $141.0 million in shorts and $26.7 million in longs, and Bitcoin the most liquidated coin at $54.7 million, followed by Ether at $44.0 million. The two tallies cover different windows and different exchange samples, so the totals differ, but both point in the same direction: the post-Fed bounce squeezed traders positioned for a fall. Liquidations are forced closures when collateral no longer meets margin requirements, and a short-heavy liquidation profile during a rising market is a classic sign of a squeeze rather than fresh, confident buying. That distinction matters for what comes next, because squeezes can fade quickly once the forced buying ends, unless spot demand steps in to sustain the move.

What the Hold Means for December

The most important question for crypto traders now is what happens at the December 8 to 9 meeting, and the honest answer is that the Fed has deliberately left that question open. A Reuters poll published on October 20 showed nearly all economists expecting a skipped increase in October and another increase in December, and the Fed’s own September projections pointed to a policy rate in the 4.00 percent to 4.25 percent range by the end of 2026. Those projections, however, are not promises, and Chair Warsh’s description of the period ahead as information rich signals that inflation and jobs data arriving before December will carry unusual weight. If inflation cools, the case for holding again, or even for easing later, strengthens. If inflation stays hot, the dissenters’ argument for another hike gains force, and risk assets would face a tougher backdrop.

For Bitcoin, the transmission mechanism is straightforward, even if the timing is uncertain. Higher-for-longer rates keep the return on cash and bonds attractive, which can cap speculative demand and encourage investors to wait rather than buy. A clearer path toward stable or lower rates would do the opposite, reducing the opportunity cost of holding Bitcoin and encouraging capital to move back into risk. That is why analysts framed the post-Fed outlook in conditional terms: a sustained recovery above $80,000 could open a range toward $85,000, while failure to hold that level would keep downside risks in focus. Neither outcome is guaranteed by the hold itself, and traders who treat a pause as a green light for aggressive buying may be disappointed if December brings another hike. Patience, position sizing, and attention to the next inflation and employment releases are likely to matter more than any single headline in the coming weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Bitcoin price October 29 after the Fed decision?

Bitcoin closed October 28 at $81,254, up 0.8 percent on the day, and traded around $81,200 to $81,340 in early October 29 reporting, holding above $81,000 after the Fed held rates at 3.75 percent to 4.00 percent.

What did the Fed decide on October 28, 2026?

The Federal Open Market Committee voted 10 to 2 to keep the federal funds target range at 3.75 percent to 4.00 percent, with two members dissenting in favour of a 25-basis-point increase, and gave no commitment on the December meeting.

What is the total crypto market capitalization?

The total crypto market capitalization stood at $2.69 trillion at the October 28 close, up 1.1 percent over 24 hours, with Bitcoin accounting for about 60.2 percent of the total.

What are Bitcoin’s key levels to watch now?

Support lies near $80,770, followed by $79,440, while resistance sits around $81,950, with $82,800 as the next level above that, according to market commentary published on October 29.

Source: KuCoin

Related reading on MM Crypto Analysis Web

• Crypto Market Close October 28: Breadth Turns Positive as Bitcoin Holds $81,254
• Whales Turn Bearish on Bitcoin for First Time Since June as ETF Flows Stabilize
• Crypto Market Wrap Oct 28: Bitcoin Holds $80,700 as Fed Decision Looms

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