Binance Hack Overshadows Fed Rate Pause as Bitcoin Slides

Bitcoin fell after the Federal Reserve left its benchmark range unchanged at 3.75%–4% following a 10–2 vote. The Fed’s decision was split, with dissenters Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack calling for a quarter‑point hike, leaving the possibility of a December increase unresolved. Meanwhile, a security breach at Binance raised immediate concerns about the exchange’s ability to move funds, complicating any attribution of the crypto sell‑off to the Fed’s policy stance. The U.S. economy posted a 3.4% annualized GDP growth in the third quarter, higher than the 3.2% forecast, yet inflation remained elevated and disposable income fell 0.3% after taxes, indicating that robust growth coexists with financial strain for households.