Fed Pause Triggers Crypto Shakeout: Bitcoin Plunges Below $91K, DePIN & AI Sectors Lead Market Rout

Bitcoin's fortress crumbles. The flagship cryptocurrency tumbled below the $91,000 support level, sparking a broad market sell-off. The catalyst? A clear signal from the Federal Reserve that its rate-hike cycle is on pause—a classic 'sell the news' event that sent shockwaves through digital asset portfolios.

The Domino Effect: From Macro to Micro

Don't blame the usual suspects. This wasn't about exchange hacks or regulatory crackdowns. The pressure came straight from the top, with the Fed's stance reshaping risk appetite across the board. Capital isn't fleeing to safety; it's recalculating the cost of opportunity in a shifting interest rate landscape—a sobering reminder that crypto hasn't quite decoupled from traditional finance's gravity.

Sector Spotlight: DePIN and AI Take the Hardest Hit

While Bitcoin led the decline, the real story unfolded in the high-flying thematic sectors. Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tokens, previously market darlings, became the epicenter of the drop. Their premium valuations proved fragile, collapsing under the weight of renewed macroeconomic scrutiny. It's the age-old finance lesson: what rallies the fastest often falls the hardest.

Navigating the New Terrain

So, what's next for the digital asset frontier? The pause from the Fed removes a key headwind but also strips away a convenient narrative for rallies. Markets must now find their footing on fundamentals—actual adoption, revenue, and utility. For projects in the DePIN and AI spaces, the hype cycle is over. The build cycle begins. The coming weeks will separate the robust protocols from the speculative vaporware, a necessary, if painful, cleansing for the ecosystem's long-term health. After all, on Wall Street—and now, Crypto Street—they don't ring a bell at the top, but the Fed just gave a pretty clear whistle.