Bitcoin braces on US inflation data as CPI nerves stall BTC price gains

by · August 10, 2022

Bitcoin (BTC) hit multi-day lows through August 10 as crypto traders braced for impact with fresh US inflation data.

BTC/USD 1-Hour Candlestick Chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

Trader: Market ‘could turn ugly’ if CPI continues to rise

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed that BTC/USD fell to $22,668 on Bitstamp at the latest daily close – the lowest since August 5.

Bullish momentum had dissipated during the previous day and the mood among traders was strongly risk-averse as markets awaited the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The data for July was expected at 8:30 a.m. ET on August 10, with expectations calling for US inflation to have already peaked.

“CPI prints have been quite important to BTC price action,” Blockware Lead Insights Analyst William Clemente wrote in part of a tweet about the event, adding that the CPI would form a “big day” for crypto.

An accompanying chart showed the impact of previous CPI readings on BTC/USD.

BTC/USD Annotated Chart Showing KPI Events. Source: William Clemente/Twitter

Trader and analyst Daan Crypto Trades, meanwhile, gave a CPI reading of 9.1 or higher as “bearish” for price action against current expectations of 8.7.

“The market has pumped on the idea that inflation has probably peaked in the last month,” he wrote in a dedicated thread.

“If it doesn’t get that confirmation today, I think it could get ugly in the short term as the top is likely to be moved forward another 1-2 months. Which probably means a delayed Fed pivot as well.”

Macro analyst Alex Krueger was more dismissive, meanwhile, calling CPI a “small number”, while recognizing its impact on risk asset trends.

BTC price still far from bullish pivot zone

The BTC price action thus remained stuck in a familiar area with classic support and resistance levels still in play.

Related: Bitcoin Dominance Hits 6-Month Low as Metrics Proclaim New ‘Alt Season’

BTC/USD circled $23,000 at the time of writing after losing more than $1,000 the previous day.

Daan Crypto Trades flagged $24,300 as a crucial level to break and hold for Bitcoin to “fly”, with $21,000 as a potential target in the event of a breakdown.

On-chain monitoring resource Whalemap, meanwhile, continued its analysis of whale buying and selling.

“$BTC is back in whale accumulation territory,” Whalemap Team in summary on the 9th of August.

“Prices where whales accumulate usually act as support or resistance for Bitcoin price action. The question is whether we bounce again or go deeper.”

Bitcoin whale wallet inflow commented chart. Source: Whalemap/Twitter

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