Bitcoin Rally Short-Circuited as Fed Chair Powell Raises Stagflation Fear

"We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension," said Powell of the effect of the Trump tariffs.

Apr 16, 2025, 5:59 p.m.

A modest bitcoin rally to a possible challenge of the $86,000 level quickly reversed during U.S. afternoon trading hours on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned on the effect of President Trump's tariff regime.

"The level of the tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated," said Powell in a speech. "The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth."

In other words, stagflation — a throwback to a sizable portion of the 1970s when the U.S. experienced weak economic activity alongside double-digit inflation.

"We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension," continued Powell.

The price of bitcoin (BTC) fell about 2.5% in the minutes following the Powell remarks, now trading at $83,700, down 1.5% over the past 24 hours.

U.S. stocks, which had been trying to mount a comeback from opening declines, also were hit, the Nasdaq slumping 3.4% to a session low.

Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.