Crypto market slips as Bitcoin retreats to $78,891 amid Fed caution

Major cryptocurrency assets tracked lower over the past 24 hours as market participants adopted a cautious stance ahead of upcoming U.S. inflation data and Federal Reserve policy decisions.

Data from CoinMarketCap shows Bitcoin declining 0.98% to trade at $78,891.71. Ethereum dropped 0.60% to $2,484.81, while BNB shed 0.39% to $743.12. Steeper losses hit privacy and alternative tokens, with Zcash sliding 4.97% to $1,133.90, Monero retreating 4.23% to $509.89, and Bittensor tumbling 5.36% to $256.38. Bucking the trend, Bitcoin Cash gained 1.22% to $258.52, while gold-pegged tokens PAX Gold and Tether Gold advanced around 0.7% to $4,435.49 and $4,431.03, respectively.

The aggregate cryptocurrency market capitalization contracted 0.75% to $2.68 trillion, with the CoinMarketCap 20 index dipping 0.96% to 162.96, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index held at 72.

N.Tebrizli