Bitcoin Gyrates on Shock US CPI Data as 24-hour Liquidations Hit $630M

Bitcoin (BTC) ramped up volatility into Thursdayโ€™s Wall Street open as markets reacted to surprise US inflation data.

Key points:

  • Bitcoin traders weather more snap BTC price volatility as CPI surprises to the downside.

  • US inflation unexpectedly drops to multiyear lows, fueling bets of interest-rate cuts.

  • Bitcoin price action continues repeating its early 2025 fractal.

Bitcoin stays erratic after โ€œmassiveโ€ CPI miss

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD passing $89,000 before reversing lower.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

The move followed the November release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which printed one of its largest monthly declines since 2023 โ€” firmly against expectations.

โ€œThe all items index rose 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending November, after rising 3.0 percent over the 12 months ending September,โ€ an official statement from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed.

The BLS noted that Octoberโ€™s CPI report was not issued due to the government shutdown.

Reacting, trading resource The Kobeissi Letter led the surprise, suggesting that contrarian inflation signals could continue into next year.

โ€œThis puts Core CPI inflation in the US at its lowest level since March 2021,โ€ it wrote in a post on X.ย 

โ€œAccording to this data, inflation is now at its closest point to the Fed’s 2% target since the pandemic. 2026 is going to be a wild year.โ€

US CPI 12-month % change. Source: BLS

Versus the anticipated 3.1% increase, CPI had come in short by a โ€œmassive amount,โ€ crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades continued.

โ€œRisk assets like $BTC are rallying on the back of this, combined with a large fall in the dollar and bond yields,โ€ an X post read.ย 

โ€œThe 3 month annualized CPI is now just slightly over 2%. This should be very welcomed by the Fed. More rate cuts are expected to get priced in following this data.โ€

Fed target rate probabilities for January FOMC meeting (screenshot). Source: CME Group

Data from CME Groupโ€™s FedWatch Tool put the odds of a fresh interest-rate cut at the Fedโ€™s Jan. 28 meeting at 26.6%.

New long-term BTC price low next?

As Cointelegraph reported, traders were suspicious of Bitcoin price action through this week and last due to โ€œfakeoutsโ€ in either direction during US trading sessions.

Related: Bears take over below $90K? 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week

Accusations of market โ€œmanipulationโ€ came as BTC/USD hit walls of liquidity both above and below while failing to sustain a new trend.

Total crypto liquidations for the 24 hours to the time of writing were over $630 million, per CoinGlass.

Crypto total liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass

With the snap moves continuing on the day, crypto trader and entrepreneur Ted Pillows eyed similarities to the start of the year.

โ€œ$BTC is mimicking the Q1 2025 fractal. What if this plays out?โ€ he queried alongside a chart of Bitcoin futures.

The chart implied another macro bottom for BTC/USD still to come, similar to that seen in early April when the pair briefly dipped below $75,000.ย 

Bitcoin futures chart fractal. Source: Ted Pillows/X

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