Bitcoin showed minimal net movement on Tuesday, settling near $77,406.0 as investors and traders held back ahead of two key events: a Senate vote on the Clarity Act and a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to result in a 25 basis point interest-rate increase. By 02:30 ET (06:30 GMT), the world’s largest crypto had declined 0.2% from prior levels.
The token had advanced in the previous session after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a new ethics provision in the Clarity Act. That provision, according to reporting, is aimed at preventing insider trading by federal officials.
Market backdrop
Broader crypto assets were mostly weaker on Tuesday, a reflection of heightened risk aversion as benchmark U.S. Treasury yields approached levels not seen in nearly two decades. At the same time, oil prices were higher amid reports of a deteriorating conflict in the Middle East, a development that added pressure across risk assets.
Investor caution was also reinforced by the imminent Federal Reserve meeting. Market participants widely expect the central bank to raise interest rates by 25 basis points at that meeting, limiting appetite for significant upside moves in crypto ahead of the announcement.
Senate vote on the Clarity Act
The Senate was scheduled to vote on the Clarity Act on Tuesday. Under Senate rules, the bill requires at least 60 votes to advance in Congress. Republican senators, led in public coverage by Cynthia Lummis, were working to secure Democratic backing for the legislation. Lummis said that President Trump had agreed to an ethics provision designed to bar insider trading by federal officials, a step reportedly requested by Senate Democrats.
Key points of contention remain within the Clarity Act, including its treatment of yield payments on stablecoins and how regulatory authority over digital assets would be divided between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Supporters describe the bill as the most comprehensive attempt so far to set a broad U.S. regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, but it still needs some Democratic support to clear the Senate and proceed toward becoming law.
Altcoins and market breadth
Outside of Bitcoin, the second-largest digital token, Ether, declined about 1% to $2,488.97. XRP bucked the broader downtrend, rising roughly 1.1%. Other major tokens were mostly softer: Solana, Cardano, and BNB each fell within a range of about 0.5% to 2%.
Memecoins also moved lower on the session, with Dogecoin and the token known as $TRUMP each down approximately 1.6%.
Bottom line
The market’s restrained trading reflected a combination of political and monetary-policy uncertainty. The Clarity Act vote and an anticipated Fed rate increase served as focal points for traders and investors, constraining volatility and keeping price moves within a limited range on Tuesday.