Bitcoin traded under pressure on September 29, 2026, after a mixed set of US economic releases underscored persistent inflation and interest-rate anxiety even as labor demand cooled. While Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman's speech was non-policy focused, her remarks were watched closely for clues about the interest-rate path. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that August job openings eased to 7.1 million, down from a revised 7.3 million in July, while hires held at 5.2 million, quits were unchanged at 3.1 million, and layoffs remained near 1.6 million.
The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell to 81.9 from 88.6 in August, and the Expectations Index dropped for a third straight month to 63.6. At the same time, the share of consumers anticipating higher interest rates over the next year rose to 68.4%, while average expected inflation climbed to 6.1%. The survey was conducted September 1–23 and included the Federal Reserve’s September 16 rate increase to a 3.75%–4.00% target range.
Against that backdrop, Bitcoin registered an intraday low of $82,775.94 and struggled to reclaim the $84,000 support level. The prior day’s US-traded spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a positive but smaller net inflow of $31 million, according to Farside Investors, while Treasury yields remained elevated at 5.24% on the 10-year and 4.92% on the 2-year.
Market attention now turns to the August PCE inflation report on September 30 and the September employment report on October 2. A cooler inflation reading alongside orderly hiring could strengthen the case for lower yields and improve Bitcoin’s competitive position against interest-bearing assets, while hot inflation data or persistently high yields would likely keep a recovery above $84,000 limited.
