Bitcoin holds $78K amid Fed hike, Clarity Act setback as Q3 rally persists

Bitcoin has navigated September’s usual macroeconomic headwinds with surprising resilience, posting a 1.5% decline—its weakest monthly performance since 2013—while still securing its first quarterly gain in over a year. Trading at $78,115.59, the asset remains above $77,000, defying expectations of a deeper correction after the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike in over three years and the failure of the Clarity Act to advance in the Senate. The Bank of Japan also raised rates to a 31-year high, while the dollar index surged to its highest level in over a month, and West Texas Intermediate crude hit a five-month peak above $106 per barrel amid Middle East tensions.