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Highlights
- February's US PCE inflation numbers show core inflation rose to 2.8% which reduced possibility of QE by the Fed.
- Bitcoin continues its retreat after rejection at $89,000, falling closer to the $82K–$85K CME Gap support zone.
- Ethereum leads the altcoin market correction, falling over 7% to below $1,900 and experiencing a $1 billion retracement in Open Interest
The US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation numbers for February have been released, showing a steady trend in headline inflation but a slight uptick in core inflation. Bitcoin and altcoins have extended losses further from earlier today as BTC slips under $85,000, while Ethereum (ETH) tanks 7% slipping under $1,900. Current trend shows that investors could expect strong volatility over the weekend.
US PCE Data Shows Inflation Remains Sticky
As per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US PCE inflation data remained unchanged at 2.5% for the month of February, aligning with the market expectations and the previous month’s reading. However, the year-over-year core inflation came hotter-than-expected at 2.8%, higher than both the previous reading of 2.6% and the expected 2.7%.
This shows that sticky inflation could be a major concern for the US Federal Reserve, while preventing it from pivoting towards quantitative easing (QE). This is bad news for risk-ON assets like US equities, Bitcoin, and the overall crypto market moving ahead.
Bitcoin Dip To Continue Further?
Following a rejection at $89,000, Bitcoin price movement is seeing a pullback once again with the cryptocurrency moving closer to the daily CME Gap zone identified earlier, according to Rekt Capital.
The analyst added that the CME Gap area, between $82,000 and $85,000, serves as a key region for potential support retests. On the other hand, BTC has just begun to test this range, which could serve as a foundation for further bullish continuation if successfully held.
However, breaking under this trendline could open the gates for a Bitcoin price crash to $70,000, as highlighted by veteran trader Peter Brandt. The impact of core US PCE inflation rise needs to be watched for now.
Today’s Bitcoin options expiry involves 139,000 BTC contracts, featuring a Put/Call ratio of 0.49, a Max Pain point of $85,000, and a notional value of $12.1 billion. Quarterly deliveries accounted for over 40% of the total options positions, with Bitcoin options comprising nearly 80% of these. During this period, implied volatility decreased, with Bitcoin’s major-term volatility dropping below the 50% mark.
Ethereum Leads Altcoin Market Correction
The Ethereum price has witnessed an even steeper fall, dropping over 7% and slipping under $1,900 levels currently. Additionally, the ETH futures open interest has also dropped over 2%, slipping to $22.17 billion.
According to Daan Crypto Trades, Ethereum (ETH) has seen approximately $1 billion in Open Interest fully retraced as the cryptocurrency hit new weekly lows. The analyst noted, “I’m not too concerned about ETH unless it trades back above $2.1K or revisits its cycle lows near $1,750.”
Other altcoins are largely mirroring Ethereum’s movements, maintaining their usual correlation with the leading altcoin. The analyst expects heightened volatility with the release of the US PCE data.
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