Bitcoin, Ether, Solana Likely to See 3%- 5% Price Swings on FOMC Rate Decision, Volmex's Data Suggests

BY Coindesk | ECONOMIC | 03/19/25 09:05 AM EDT By Omkar Godbole

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy-making body, is slated to publish its rate review later in the day, along with growth and inflation projections and interest rate forecast.

The widely-watched event is likely to breed crypto market volatility, spurring 3% to 5% price swings in bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and solana (SOL). That's the message from Volmex's one-day implied volatility indices tied to BTC, ETH and SOL.

At 12:30 UTC, the bitcoin one-day IV index (BVIV) signaled an annualized volatility of 63.32%, equating to an expected 24-hour price swing of 3.31%. The daily move is calculated by dividing the annualized figure by the square root of 365, the total number of trading days in a year.

Similarly, ether and solana volatility indices suggested 24-hour price swings of 5.25% and 5.73%, respectively.

These figures might be scary for equity or currency traders but do not represent a major deviation from the normal in the crypto market. In other words, the Fed event, though pivotal, is unlikely to result in an immediate volatility explosion.

The central bank is widely expected to keep the benchmark borrowing cost steady while signaling an end of its prolonged quantitive tightening program. However, gains in risk assets may be tempered by a potential stagflationary adjustment in the summary of economic projections.

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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