Share this article

Upside Elusive for Bitcoin as Yellen Says Fed Rate Hike a 'Plus'

Yellen's rate-hike comments and lingering China regulatory concerns dominate market sentiment.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:07 p.m. Published Jun 7, 2021, 9:32 a.m.
jwp-player-placeholder

Bitcoin struggled to rise as U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen kept the market from cheering El Salvador's plans to adopt the leading cryptocurrency as legal tender.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

In a taped announcement on Saturday, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said he plans to submit legislation that will make bitcoin legal tender. The announcement lifted investor sentiment, with some calling a potential adoption at the government level a major bullish development.

However, the cryptocurrency remains locked well within Saturday's trading range of $34,900 to $37,900. At press time, bitcoin is changing hands near $36,200, according to the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index, up 1% on the day.

China's regulatory crackdown and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's latest comments on interest rates could be capping the gain.

Also read: Bitcoin, Other Cryptos Fall After Weibo Blocks Rekindle Fears of China Crackdown

On Sunday, Yellen told Bloomberg that President Joe Biden's $4 trillion spending proposal would be positive for the country, even if it leads to a rise in interest rates. "If we ended up with a slightly higher interest rate environment, it would actually be a plus for society's point of view and the Federal Reserve's point of view," Yellen said.

A rate increase dilutes the appeal of perceived inflation hedges such as bitcoin and gold.

China stepped up its crackdown on bitcoin trading and mining over the weekend, blocking many cryptocurrency “key opinion leaders” on Weibo. The move comes weeks after China reiterated its long-standing ban on cryptocurrency trading and mining, sending the price of bitcoin lower.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

XRP Faces Downside Risk as Social Sentiment Turns Wildly Negative

(Midjourney/Modified by CoinDesk)

The turn in crowd mood comes after a two-month slide of roughly 31%, leaving the token vulnerable to further downside if risk appetite weakens across majors.

What to know:

  • XRP's price approached the $2 mark as social sentiment around the token turned sharply negative, according to Santiment data.
  • The token has experienced a 31% decline over two months, making it vulnerable to further losses if market risk appetite weakens.
  • Santiment's sentiment model indicates XRP is in a 'fear zone,' where negative commentary significantly outweighs positive talk, potentially influencing market positioning.