Crypto Markets Eye Rebound as Fed Completes $40B in Reserve Management Purchases

Global crypto markets are consolidating after a strong start to 2026. As the Federal Reserve completes about $40 billion in Treasury bill Reserve Management Purchases. The move has focused traders on fresh liquidity support and its possible impact on major digital assets.

Crypto Market Steadies as Fed Resumes T-Bill Buying

As of press time, Bitcoin is changing hands around $90,770 and slipping 0.32% over the last 24 hours. Ethereum traded near $3,115. The combined value of the crypto market remained just above $3.1 trillion after a wild couple days.

The New York Fed’s latest move pumped just over $8.165 billion into the financial system in one day. The action is part of a larger stew of responses, as the Fed aims to buy about $40 billion in short-term Treasury bills.

The effort traces to the Fed’s policy meeting in December.The Open Market Desk received approval at that meeting to start buying Treasury bills again in the secondary market. The idea is to keep banks flush with reserves and make sure short-term interest rates stay firmly in check.

Officials have called these maneuvering technical reserve management. They insist the operations do not represent a shift in monetary policy. The existing window is from Dec. 12 to mid-January. It features around $40 billion of new purchases and something like $14.4 billion in reinvestment buying, a total demand of just over $54 billion.

Liquidity Injections Raise QE and Stability Concerns

In the past, infusions of liquidity on this level have helped alleviate stress in funding markets. More muted funding pressure may lower volatility and underpin risk assets. In an X post, analyst Mark pointed out the $8.165 billion of injections and expectations for $40 to $80 billion of monthly purchases. He remembered a previous spike in the balance sheet that foretold violent rallies in mid and small cap altcoins.

Market commentator James Lavish said that the maneuver is, for all intents and purposes, quantitative easing even though the Fed terms it “Reserve Management.” 

Survey responses, cited by traders, show an estimate of more than $200 billion RMP over the next year. Critics say that repeated operations of this sort run the risk of easing total financial conditions and indirectly assisting Treasury financing, even if they are limited to T-bills.

Others emphasize the focus on short-term paper and stated intention to taper activity as seasonal pressures wane. Skeptics like Michael Burry connect the need to continue shoring up with weakness in the U.S. banking system. They also point out that banks are still sitting on large reserves at the Federal Reserve.