The cryptocurrency market remained mixed on September 17, 2026, with Bitcoin and most major tokens posting modest gains in early trading even as the broader market continued to face pressure from tighter U.S. monetary policy. Bitcoin was trading at $76,357, up 0.27%, while Ethereum rose 0.56% to $2,431.28.
Bitcoin's weekly performance remained slightly negative at -0.26%, but it was still up 18.04% over the past month. Ethereum showed a stronger monthly gain of 26.84%, although it remained down 18.05% year-to-date and 47.05% over the past year.
Fed rate hike puts pressure on crypto
The latest market move comes after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, its first rate increase in more than three years, while signalling that another hike could come later in 2026. The decision pushed the U.S. dollar to a seven-week high and kept Treasury yields elevated, conditions that can weigh on risk-sensitive assets such as cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin was trading broadly flat around $76,562 in wider market trading after the Fed announcement, indicating that investors were still assessing the impact of the new interest-rate outlook.
The cryptocurrency sector is also dealing with regulatory uncertainty after the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Clarity Act, a major proposed framework for digital-asset regulation. The procedural vote was narrowly defeated 49-50 on September 16.
Solana and XRP remain among the stronger major tokens
Solana gained 0.96% to $99.51 in the snapshot and was up 29.10% over the past month. XRP rose 0.16% to $1.30071, with a monthly gain of 29.91%.
Binance Coin slipped 0.15% despite remaining 20.09% higher over one month, while Avalanche gained 0.73%. Polygon declined 0.79%, and Cardano fell 0.32%.
Among the weaker weekly performers, Cosmos dropped 15.49%, Polkadot lost 7.65% and Cardano declined 4.63%.
