Why a BOJ hike didn’t hurt Bitcoin
1️⃣ The hike was fully priced
Futures and swaps were already implying ~100% probability of a 25 bps hike.
When an outcome is fully expected, it can’t shock price.
Markets don’t move on the event — they move on the delta vs expectations.
So when the BOJ did exactly what was anticipated, there was no reason to sell.
2️⃣ The real signal was forward guidance
The governor’s tone mattered more than the rate.
Key takeaway:
Future tightening will be slow, gradual, and data-dependent.
That immediately reduced fears of:
A rapid yen carry trade unwind
Forced deleveraging across global risk assets
Sudden USD/JPY volatility spikes
For BTC, that’s a liquidity relief signal.
3️⃣ Why the “BTC to $70K” calls failed
Those bearish scenarios assumed:
A surprise hike or
Hawkish guidance implying multiple rapid increases
Neither happened.
Instead:
Downside was already discounted
Positioning was skewed bearish
Result: relief bid, not panic
This is classic sell the rumor, buy the news behavior.
4️⃣ What this says about Bitcoin right now
BTC is increasingly trading like:
A liquidity-sensitive macro asset
Not a reflexive “risk-off dump” instrument
That’s a structural shift.
It doesn’t mean BTC ignores central banks — it means it reacts to:
Liquidity expectations
Policy surprises
Funding stress signals
Not headlines.
📌 Bottom line (nailed it)
Markets move on:
Expectations ✔️
Positioning ✔️
Liquidity ✔️
Not on:
Obvious headlines
Fully priced decisions
When central banks surprise, volatility explodes. When they confirm expectations, price often does the opposite of the crowd.
