At 3 AM, a major event is happening! The Federal Reserve meeting minutes are about to be released, and the two-month consolidation in the crypto market will be decided by this.

Why have Bitcoin and Ethereum been trading sideways within the 85,000-95,000 range for so long? Essentially, the market is betting on the Fed's stance. The December meeting minutes are crucial; they will reveal how divided the Fed really is. On one side are the hawks worried about inflation rebounding, insisting on keeping interest rates high; on the other side are those concerned about rising unemployment, wanting to loosen policy immediately. The news has already leaked that the minutes are likely to lean hawkish, emphasizing that current interest rates may still need to be higher. This puts significant short-term pressure on crypto assets.

**From an operational perspective, keep these two points in mind:**

In the short term, there may be some turbulence. Once the hawkish signals appear, the dollar will appreciate, and risk assets won’t escape the impact. If Bitcoin breaks below the key support at 83,821-86,284, it could head straight to 80,641. If you hold leveraged positions, make sure to tighten your stop-loss tonight.

But from another angle, this might be the perfect window for strategic positioning. Why have large whales reduced their coin transfers to exchanges by nearly 50% in December? They’re also waiting for the opportunity to cause a dip. Once the minutes trigger market panic, it could be the golden moment for you to accumulate in stages. Focus on altcoins with genuine ecosystem support.

Two months of consolidation are finally about to be answered. Once the minutes are out, we’ll know whether it’s a real drop or a false move, and the subsequent trend will become clearer.