The bitcoin price briefly climbed above $92,500 today after U.S. inflation data came in line with expectations as markets assessed the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook and rising political tensions surrounding the central bank. The consumer price index rose 2.7% year over year in December, unchanged from November and matching economists’ estimates, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a month-over-month basis, headline inflation increased 0.3%, also in line with forecasts. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.6% from a year earlier, compared with expectations for 2.7% and a prior reading of 2.6%.
Core inflation increased 0.2% month over month. December’s CPI report cleared late-2025 “data fog,” bolstering the soft-landing narrative and raising the odds of further Fed cuts, according to Matt Mena, Crypto Research Strategist at 21shares. Bitcoin, which had been trading just below $92,000 around the time of the report, spiked to around $92,800 in the minutes following market open before retreating to roughly $92,300. The cryptocurrency was up about 1%–1.7% over the past 24 hours at the time of writing.
Bitcoin price move followed a rally late Sunday that pushed prices back above $92,000 after new headlines involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell intensified concerns about central bank independence. The bitcoin price rose roughly 1.5% late Sunday to around $92,000 after Powell released a video message stating that the U.S. Department of Justice had threatened criminal charges tied to his June 2025 congressional testimony. Powell said the dispute stemmed from the Fed setting interest rates based on its assessment of economic conditions rather than political pressure. Gold rose alongside the bitcoin price, with spot prices climbing about 1.3% during Sunday’s move.
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