U.S. producer inflation rose faster than expected in February, with PPI up 0.7% month over month and 3.4% year over year. As markets awaited the Fed's March decision and Jerome Powell's 2:30 p.m. ET remarks, major tokens traded lower, including Bitcoin near $72,394 and Ethereum around $2,243.

Capriole Investments founder Charles Edwards said Bitcoin needs to hold above $80,000 to confirm the return of a full-scale bull market. He ties the level to his BTC Institutional Closed Basis model, with the upper band near $81,487 marking an institutional cost ceiling. Edwards also reiterated his view that quantum computing could pose a serious long-term risk to Bitcoin by 2028.

Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $74,000 on Wednesday after hitting $76,000 on Tuesday, with traders watching for volatility around the FOMC rate decision and Jerome Powell's remarks. Key technical areas highlighted include resistance at $76,000–$80,000 and downside zones at $72,000–$65,000, then $62,500–$60,000 if support fails. Spot Bitcoin ETFs also recorded $199 million of inflows on March 17, extending positive netflows to seven straight days.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs extended inflows to seven straight days, adding about $1.2 billion in total as $199.4 million came in on Monday. Trading volume slipped to $2.6 billion and assets under management rose to $96.7 billion, but the streak remains far smaller than the roughly $6 billion seen across nine days in October 2025. Altcoin funds also improved, with Ether leading inflows and XRP ETFs posting their first daily gains since March 4.

Centralized exchanges saw hourly Bitcoin inflows climb to 6,100 BTC on March 16 as BTC extended a monthly rise and approached the $75,000 area. CryptoQuant's Julio Moreno said large transfers made up 63% of total inflows, a level last seen in mid-October 2025, a pattern he linked historically with higher sell-side pressure. With the Federal Reserve decision due Wednesday, BTC also tested near-$75,000 levels multiple times on Coinbase within the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin pushed higher above $75,500 and printed a $75,998 peak before giving back part of the move and entering consolidation. Price is holding above $73,500 and the 100-hour SMA, with a bullish hourly trendline support near $72,000. A break above $75,500 and $76,200 could open the door to $77,500 and $78,000, while failure near $75,000 may shift attention to $73,800, $73,150, and lower supports.

Bitcoin’s Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) indicator is moving back toward a region that has aligned with the 2015, 2018, and 2022 cycle lows. BTC recently pushed above $70,000 into the mid-$70,000s, while the NUPL reading cited is 22.9, and Bitcoin was last noted trading at $74,220, up 1.3% over 24 hours. An analyst argues the pattern could imply further sentiment reset is still needed before a long-term bottom is confirmed.

Bitcoin (BTC) reached $76,000 on March 17, extending a multi-day rebound as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs continued to see renewed buying interest. Analyst Axel Adler Jr. said ETF holders still face an average unrealized loss of $5,174, with the cohort's realized price near $79,962 shaping how the market may behave around the $80,000 area.