Bitcoin had dropped Monday to below $40,000 for the first time in more than three weeks. It was about 1.2% higher at $40,315 as of 9:41 a.m. in New York. Ether also strengthened, rising to just above $3,000. Some smaller coins posted larger gains, with Avalanche rising 6.3% and Cardano advancing 2.7%.

Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have struggled in recent weeks as the Federal Reserve began hiking rates to combat stubbornly high inflation and geopolitical turmoil hurt risk appetite. A report Tuesday showed core inflation increased less than forecast in March.

Bitcoin “is still consolidating in a triangle pattern stretching back to mid-January,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda. “The lower and upper boundaries today are $36,500 and $47,500,” he said, implying that Bitcoin was well within its range.

Bitcoin Bearish Flag Has Analysts Looking For Crash Lows: Chart

Crypto’s correlation with U.S. tech stocks has risen sharply in the past few weeks, suggesting investors increasingly view digital assets as vulnerable to tightening monetary conditions. But contrast, the massive stimulus the Fed flooded markets with during the Covid outbreak drove Bitcoin to a record of almost $69,000 in November.

A break above or below those support or resistance levels could lead to an $18,000 move either way, Halley added.