Bitcoin (BTC) attempted to break above $90,000 at Wednesday’s open on Wall Street as markets awaited macro signals from the US.

Key Points:

• Bitcoin is struggling to sustain its $90,000 gain as gold surges and weakening U.S. dollar strength.

• The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision is flattening stocks.

• Bitcoin traders are sitting and waiting for the inevitable range break.

$90,000 is too much for Bitcoin bulls

Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD almost reaching $90,500 before giving up gains and falling to $88,800.

American stock markets started the day before the Federal Reserve’s recent decision on interest rate changes.

As Cointelegraph reports, no adjustments were expected at the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Of greater interest was the accompanying speech and press conference by Chairman Jerome Powell.

“Fireworks, that’s what we can expect” – cryptocurrency trader, analyst and entrepreneur Michaël van de Poppe forecast in post X on Wednesday.

Gold gave a preview of what’s to come, hitting recent record highs above $5,300 an ounce during the Asian trading session.

At the same time, the strength of the US dollar suffered as US President Donald Trump seemed content to exploit it as a tool to make US exports more competitive.

“Objectively speaking, the US dollar just had its worst year in 8 years. When asked about it for the first time, President Trump could have easily dismissed the recent decline. In fact, he said that the US dollar is like a yo-yo that he can tilt in any direction, confirming that he is able to reverse its decline,” The Kobeissi Letter trade source commented on this topic.

“If this is the case, why hasn’t President Trump advocated strengthening the U.S. dollar? Because a weaker U.S. dollar is associated with lower interest rates, higher U.S. exports, lower trade deficits and higher nominal GDP growth. And most importantly: higher asset prices.”

Geopolitical tensions, currently centered around U.S. military maneuvers toward Iran, have helped create a safe and sound haven.

BTC price ‘cannot stay inside’

Meanwhile, Bitcoin and altcoins, continuing an all-too-familiar trend, failed to capitalize on the sense of macro uncertainty.

Related: Bitcoin ETF profitability level of PLN 86,000. dollars in the spotlight amid reports of an influx of US wirehouses

Patience ran out among traders as the consensus favored an eventual breakout from Bitcoin’s narrow trading range.

“Right now, liquidity is concentrated at the ends of the range. BTC cannot stay in the middle: sooner or later it will have to execute stops and orders from one of the two sides,” trader EliZ he said X followers that day.

Trader and analyst Rekt Capital noted decreasing volatility in this range, but issued a warning for bulls.

“Ultimately, Bitcoin is simply consolidating in the $86-93K range since November 2025. The first reaction from the Range Low saw a move of +13%. So far, the rebound is +4%,” X’s post that day he stated.

“If this current rebound is smaller than the previous +13% move, it would indicate that the lower range is weakening as support that could precede a macro breakdown over time.”

Earlier, Rekt Capital saw a bearish trendline break on the weekly BTC/USD chart – something that sparked a multi-month rally to bear market lows in previous years.