Bitcoin bounced back above $81,000 after briefly dropping on Tuesday’s inflation report. At the same time, US stock futures pointed higher as Wall Street looked past the data and focused on diplomatic developments.
The April Consumer Price Index came in at 3.8% year-over-year, above economist estimates. Gasoline prices, driven higher by the ongoing Iran conflict, were a key factor. Bitcoin fell to $79,879 on the print but recovered to $81,208 by Wednesday morning in Asia.
While April CPI inflation rose to 3.8%, inflation is much higher in many basic necessities:
1. Energy Commodity Inflation: +29.2%
2. Gasoline Inflation: +28.4%
3. Airfare Inflation: +20.7%
4. Energy Inflation: +17.9%
5. Electricity Inflation: +6.1%
6. Fruits and Vegetables…— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 12, 2026
The crypto market showed resilience that traditional markets did not. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% and the Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.9% on Tuesday, with semiconductor stocks hit hardest.
Among cryptocurrencies, BNB gained 2.5% to $677 and Dogecoin rose 1.3% to $0.1114. Ether fell 0.3% on the day and is down 3.2% over seven days, making it the weakest of the major coins. Solana slipped 0.6% to $95.52 and XRP fell 0.5% to $1.45.
CoinShares reported $858 million in global crypto fund inflows last week. Bitcoin products led with $706 million, followed by Ether at $77 million, Solana at $48 million, and XRP at $40 million.
The most telling data point was $14 million in outflows from bitcoin short positions. That was the largest weekly short unwind of 2026, meaning bearish bets on bitcoin are being removed even as the broader economic picture gets more uncertain.
FxPro analyst Alex Kuptsikevich noted that bitcoin has stalled just below its downward-sloping 200-day moving average. He described the recent pause as “a breather following a rally” rather than a reversal.
CoinShares linked the inflow surge partly to progress on the CLARITY Act. A compromise on stablecoin yield treatment is expected to be reviewed by the Senate Banking Committee next week.
On Wednesday, US stock futures climbed. Dow futures were near flat, S&P 500 futures rose 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.5%.
President Trump is traveling to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping to discuss trade and AI. Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang are among the CEOs joining the trip.
News that Nvidia’s Jensen Huang would join the China delegation lifted chipmaker futures in Asian trading.
Investors are also watching Iran ceasefire talks, which Trump described as being on “life support.” Oil prices have climbed through the week due to the standoff.
Wednesday also brings wholesale inflation data, earnings from Cisco Systems, Alibaba, and Birkenstock, and a Senate confirmation vote for Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair.
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