The price of bitcoin fell by around 1% over the past 24 hours, trading close to the $88,000 (£63,690) mark, as markets digested the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates steady at Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.
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The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization (BTC-USD) has been trending lower since hitting a local peak of around $97,000 on January 15, with recent weakness coming amid a broader rotation by investors into traditional safe-haven assets.
Read more: Live crypto prices
Gold (GC=F) rose to a new all-time high on Thursday, trading just under $5,600 an ounce, while silver (SI=F) pushed towards $120, as investors sought refuge in precious metals amid renewed geopolitical and economic uncertainty. The shift comes alongside a weakening US dollar, down 2.13% year-to-date, boosting demand for alternative value stores.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization is now $3.07tn, down 1.1% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data.
Mamadou Kwidjim Toure, founder of fintech platform Ubuntu Tribe, told Yahoo Finance that investors are increasingly valuing the role of bitcoin (BTC-USD) in portfolios as macro conditions evolve.
“As the financial landscape evolves, investors are increasingly turning from bitcoin (BTC-USD) to gold (GC=F), and for good reason,” Toure said.
“Gold has shown exceptional resilience and consistent growth, especially in a challenging market environment. While bitcoin struggled to deliver on its growth promises last year, gold has achieved a remarkable 72% return in 2025, surpassing the target of $5,000 per ounce.”
Read more: Gold price pushes above $5,500 amid weak dollar
Toure said the change reflected deeper structural trends rather than short-term market reactions, indicating sustained central bank demand for physical gold (GC=F).
“Central banks have systematically accumulated more than 1,000 tons of gold in recent years,” he said. “The volatility of gold is three to three and a half times lower than that of bitcoin, offering reassurance to investors looking for stability.”
Bitcoin (BTC-USD)’s lower move follows the US Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday to keep interest rates steady, keeping the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5%–3.75% after delivering three consecutive quarter-point cuts as signs of weakness in the labor market emerged.
Fabian Dori, chief investment officer at Sygnum Bank, said the meeting confirmed a holding pattern rather than signaling a significant policy shift.