Cryptocurrencies rise as July CPI matches expectations

The July Consumer Price Index report landed right where Wall Street expected it to, and crypto markets responded with a collective exhale and a bid higher. Headline CPI came in at 0.2% month-over-month with an annual rate of 3.4%, matching consensus forecasts and reinforcing the narrative that inflation is slowly, grudgingly, coming to heel. The numbers behind the calm Core CPI, which strips out the chaos of food and energy prices, rose between 0.1% and 0.2% on the month. That puts the annual core rate near 2.5%, a number that would have sounded aspirational just a couple of years ago. The context makes these figures look even better. June’s CPI report came in at negative 0.4% month-over-month, well below the anticipated 3.8% annual rate, clocking in at 3.5% instead. That surprise downside print had already set the stage for optimism. July’s confirmation that the trend is holding, rather than reverting, gave markets the follow-through they needed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the data at 8:30 a.m. ET on August 12, right on schedule. Within minutes, Bitcoin and other major digital assets were ticking upward as algorithmic and discretionary traders alike processed the impl...