Crypto markets flat as geopolitical tensions simmer

June 17, 2025

James Bowater

📉 Bitcoin holds steady - despite Middle East tensions and market uncertainty.
🛢️ Gold and oil prices surge - traditional safe havens react to geopolitical risk.
📅 Fed rate decision tomorrow - with markets expecting no change but watching the "dot plot" closely.

Bitcoin and the broader market have held up considering the geopolitical unrest and the uncertainties that come with it. The market leader again bounced off a low of around $102,000 to rebound to current levels as news of an escalation in the Middle East conflict circulated. Others like Bitcoin Cash (BCH) are up 4% overnight, while Tron (TRX) and XRP also showed some strength.

The prices of gold and oil, traditional safe-haven investments, have surged on the uncertainty, and some analysts say there may be a delayed response in Bitcoin markets yet to come, but whether that’s up or down is unclear.

As for the sideways movements across much of crypto this morning, markets also tend to hold steady in the days before the Federal Reserve Bank’s decision on interest rates, which is set for tomorrow. While markets and analysts broadly expect the Fed to keep rates unchanged, attention will focus on potential future rate cuts and the updated “dot plot”, a chart showing where Fed members expect interest rates to be in the future. This, along with fresh economic projections, could provide a clearer picture of the Fed’s path for the remainder of the year.

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