Bitcoin fell below the $67,000 mark on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, following the release of a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report. The data prompted traders to dial back expectations for near-term Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, increasing the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like cryptocurrencies.
The U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, nearly double the consensus forecast, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.3%. This signaled unexpected labor market resilience. However, the report came with significant context: benchmark revisions slashed the total job additions for 2025 to just 181,000 for the entire year, down from an initially reported 584,000, highlighting underlying fragility.
The immediate market reaction was a sharp repricing of Fed policy expectations. Futures markets now price the Fed on hold until at least June 2026, after three cuts late in 2025. Bond yields jumped, with the 10-year Treasury yield rising toward 4.2%. Higher yields tighten financial conditions and reduce the appeal of speculative assets like Bitcoin.
"For Bitcoin, this report is a short-term headwind. A beat of this magnitude dampens the probability of a March rate cut and reinforces the Fed's pause. The cheaper money catalyst that risk assets need to mount a sustained recovery just got pushed further out," said David Hernandez, Crypto Investment Specialist at 21Shares.
The broader cryptocurrency market tracked lower alongside Bitcoin, with Ether and other major tokens falling amid thin liquidity and muted institutional demand. Bitcoin's recent rebound from lows in the $60,000s had failed to hold above the $70,000 level, and the jobs data introduced renewed volatility risk. Market participants are now closely watching the next inflation print for further clues on the Fed's policy path.
