Bitcoin fell 2.68% this week to $70,538, as hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve overshadowed a landmark regulatory ruling in the United States. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jointly classified 16 major crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, as digital commodities, ending a decade-long period of regulatory uncertainty. However, the Federal Reserve's decision to hold rates steady while raising inflation expectations triggered a sharp market reaction, with Bitcoin long positions evaporating over $142 million in a single day, and the total cryptocurrency market cap declining to $2.42 trillion. Analysts noted that the correlation between cryptocurrencies and gold reached 92%, highlighting their role as an inflation hedge under macroeconomic pressure.