(Kitco News) – Bitcoin’s (BTC) price climbed higher in early trading on Wednesday after the latest U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report fell in line with expectations, although it showed that inflation remains sticker than the Federal Reserve preferred in April.
Data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the CPI rose 3.6% year-over-year on a “core” basis, which strips out food and energy prices. The reading aligned with predictions from the market and showed a slight cooling from the 3.8% increase seen in March.
Month-on-month CPI came in at 0.3% for April, 0.1% below expectations.
This was the first reading to come in at or below market expectations in more than four months, which traders took as a positive sign regarding interest rates and the possibility of a cut coming before the end of the year.
Data provided by the CME FedWatch Tool shows that following the CPI release, the market is now pricing in a roughly 70% chance the Fed will begin to cut rates at its September meeting, up from 45% the month prior.
Investors now anticipate two 25 basis-point cuts this year, down from six that many analysts predicted at the start of 2024.
Data provided by TradingView shows that Bitcoin bounced off a low of $61,311 in the early morning hours on Wednesday and started to claw its way higher in the lead-up to the CPI release.
BTC/USD Chart by TradingView
Following the report, BTC spiked from $62,500 to $65,085, and at the time of writing, traded at $65,015, an increase of 5.06% on the 24-hour chart.
Stocks also benefitted from the CPI being in line with expectations as both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index hit all-time highs.
Before the CPI was released, David Morrison, Senior Market Analyst at Trade Nation, said that if the report fell in line with expectations, “that should be enough to trigger a rally, at least in the short term, given the current bullish sentiment in equities.”
“If so, it could see the major indices take out their record highs from the end of March,” he added. “The NASDAQ 100 is tantalisingly close, as is the S&P 500. But then the question is: how much more upside is there, given that inflation remains way above target?”
Morrison noted that just yesterday, both Core and Headline month-on-month for the Producer Price Index “came in well above expectations,” but was “largely shrugged off by traders, providing further evidence of the current strength of bullish sentiment.”
“But it should also ring some warning bells, as the PPI has a significant weighting towards Services, as does the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, Core PCE,” he warned. “The next update on the latter comes at the end of the month.”
“Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke yesterday and said that inflation has been higher than anyone expected,” Morrison added. “He reiterated his message that investors should be patient when it came to getting it back down to the Fed’s 2% target.”
While the broader stock market trended higher, meme stocks GameStop (GME) and AMC Entertainment (AMC) crashed 25% and 17%, respectively, following a two-day short squeeze that saw GME gain more than 180% and AMC rise 95%.
As for Bitcoin, Dan Tapiero, CEO of investment firm 10T Holdings, thinks that Bitcoin could see its price surge more than 45% if it can reclaim support at $65,000.
Starting to look scary bullish for #BITCOIN
Break of 65k goes right to 90k...and then more..
Very clear sideways overlapping flag type consolidation nearly done.
Mkts always surprise.
Specific catalyst unclear but it doesn't matter.
DFTU as @RaoulGMI preaches. ? ? pic.twitter.com/KcFAwH1H80— Dan Tapiero (@DTAPCAP) May 14, 2024
Market analyst Moustache agrees with Tapiero’s outlook, noting on Wednesday that the “Weekly Stoch RSI for $BTC has just crossed bullish,” signaling that “the biggest move [is] ahead.”
#Bitcoin
It's finally happened!
Weekly Stoch RSI for $BTC has just crossed bullish.??
Bitcoin is also doing what it has done in previous cycles. If you don't have patience here, I can't help you.
Biggest move ahead. Good night bears. pic.twitter.com/FsUwhtoVV3— ???????ⓗ? ? (@el_crypto_prof) May 15, 2024
