Both Bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) advanced following the release of recent U.S. inflation figures, as market experts noted that the largely expected Consumer Price Index report did little to change projections for the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy trajectory, keeping the wider digital asset rally moving forward.
Bitcoin’s price came close to testing $79,000 before stabilizing near $77,800, while ether’s price climbed past $2,500 after the Consumer Price Index increased by 0.4% in August, pushing the annual inflation rate to 3.4%, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Energy costs served as a major factor, with gasoline prices climbing over 25% compared to the previous year.
Experts indicated that the report offered the digital asset market minimal new data to incorporate into the central bank’s upcoming September meeting, meaning Bitcoin and other crypto assets remain tied more closely to fundamental demand and broader macroeconomic conditions than to the CPI figures themselves.
“The outlook is not negative because historically, BTC has produced an average return of +2.13% during the month following a higher-than-anticipated core CPI report, which supports the idea that the upward trend persists when the Fed maintains steady interest rates,” explained Matt Mena, senior crypto research strategist at 21Shares.
Fabian Dori, the chief investment officer at Sygnum Bank, pointed out the danger that an unexpected surge in core inflation could force a reassessment of Federal Reserve expectations and threaten a Bitcoin advance driven primarily by institutional investments instead of speculative borrowing.
“A core reading that comes in higher than expected is one of the genuine reversal threats we highlighted ahead of this upward movement,” Dori stated. “With September rate hike expectations sitting near 70%, an upward surprise does more than just reprice the meeting; it temporarily challenges a Bitcoin trajectory built on allocations rather than leverage.”
Lewis Huang, an analyst at Bitget, pointed out the contrast between headline inflation picking up due to energy costs while core inflation keeps declining. This dynamic gives the central bank some flexibility to look past the headline jump, he explained, keeping the September choice dependent on the general equilibrium between inflation, employment figures, and financial conditions.
“For the digital asset market, the report delivers less of a directional signal stemming from interest rates,” Huang mentioned. “Bitcoin maintaining its position above $76,270 implies that core demand stays strong despite uncertainty surrounding the future of interest rates.”
Crypto markets see limited rate signal from CPI
Brendan Ma, head of investment strategy at the Arbitrum Foundation, noted that elevated interest rates are not universally detrimental to the digital asset sector. He emphasized that higher short-term yields can benefit specific sectors of crypto infrastructure, specifically stablecoins and tokenized Treasuries, even if increased rates can create pressure on risk-on assets and trading volumes.
“Regarding tokenization, high interest rates do not act as the drag that people commonly assume,” Ma added. “The speculative trading side of this industry is sensitive to interest rates, whereas the collateral side is supported by them.”
Solana (SOL) is also demonstrating robust momentum, and SOL’s price aims to stay above the $100 resistance level to reach a target of $130. Mena stated that this outcome appears increasingly probable as the fourth quarter approaches, supported by ETF inflows and on-chain metrics.
“SOL exchange-traded funds have attracted upwards of $500 million in net investments throughout 2026, and Solana established a new milestone last month by handling more than 5 billion transactions,” the strategist remarked. “The Ethereum ecosystem is also displaying power, with its Robinhood Chain Layer-2 network becoming the fastest network to attain $1 million in daily earnings and $1 billion in trading activity within a span of two months since its introduction.”
Overall, Mena observed that the final three months of 2026 are shaping up to be one of the most significant periods for cryptocurrencies since the Trump presidential election.
“Furthermore, if the CLARITY act passes—something most market participants are not currently factoring in—BTC appears positioned to pursue $100k, ETH $3k, and SOL $130 or higher,” he concluded.
Originally published at https://www.theblock.co/news/markets/2026-09-11-bitcoin-ether-rise-inflation-data-does-little-alter-fed-interest-rate-outlook-414287.
