Bitcoin (BTC) was treading water just below $85,000

Bitcoin (BTC) was treading water just below $85,000 late Thursday as tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell added another layer of uncertainty for investors.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he could fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for failing to cut interest rates rapidly enough and that he planned to make a decision on the matter “shortly.”

Trump, who nominated the former investment banker and lawyer as Fed chair during his first term, has expressed his displeasure with Powell since retaking the White House.

“They cut them [interest rates] very slowly, they should have cut them much faster,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I have the right to fire the Fed chairman if I want to. And I’m thinking about it.”

Trump added that he planned to make a decision on removing Powell “over the next period of time.”

The president’s comments came after the European Central Bank (ECB) cut key interest rates for the seventh consecutive occasion on Thursday as it warned of a deteriorating growth outlook.

The ECB’s differential deposit rate will now be -0.50%, deepening the negative territory it had been in since March 2016. Economists polled by Bloomberg had anticipated no change to the rate, which was previously set at 0%.

Meanwhile, the ECB also announced a new series of targeted lending measures to support the eurozone economy, which is now expected to grow 0.9% this year. Economists had predicted a 1.2% growth estimate.

The latest Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index also showed a steeper-than-expected nosedive in activity this month, plunging to its lowest level (-26.4) in two years. Economists polled by Bloomberg had anticipated a small decline from last month’s reading of -13.0 to reach -12.0 this month.

The Philadelphia Fed’s prices paid index also climbed to its highest reading since July 2022, rising to 42.0 from last month’s figure of 29.0. Economists had predicted a slight decrease to 27.0.

The steeper-than-expected decline in the manufacturing index, and the continued price pressures, are likely to keep the Trump administration’s large-scale tariff policy in the spotlight as it pushes the U.S. economy into stagflation.

The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq stock indexes traded mostly flat during the day. Earlier this week, both indexes slid more than 1% on Wednesday following hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who criticized Trump’s tariffs policy, saying that it would likely result in a slowing economy and rising prices — what economists call “stagflation.” In his remarks, Powell made clear his larger focus for now would be on prices, suggesting tighter Fed policy than otherwise thought.

A look at the crypto market showed Bitcoin and Ethereum's ETH both down less than 1% over the past 24 hours. Most assets in the CoinDesk 20 Index traded lower during the day, with bitcoin cash (BCH), NEAR and AAVE leading losses.