Bitcoin falls below $80,000 as traders de-risk ahead of Fed meeting

Bitcoin dropped nearly 2% to around $79,800 on Monday as traders reduced risk ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting. Ether, XRP and other major tokens also declined, with Ether falling above $2,300 and XRP slipping to $1.28. The decline was driven by expectations that the Fed may hint at a December rate hike, which would tighten liquidity and pressure riskier assets. A continuing sell-off in Asian technology shares, particularly on AI concerns, also weighed on market sentiment.