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Bitcoin (BTC) dropping below the $80,000 mark is starting to undo some of the optimism that followed a major step forward for the industry. After the Senate Banking Committee markup for the CLARITY Act on Thursday, the market’s gains have since faded.
Now, fresh inflation data is arriving with a potentially heavier hand, and analysts say it could further cool sentiment that traders had hoped would carry into stronger price action.
The concern is not limited to Bitcoin: the same macro pressure could spill into Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), where conditions often translate into sharper day-to-day moves.
‘Broadly Bearish’ For Bitcoin
Market expert Alex Carchidi of The Motley Fool frames April’s inflation reading as particularly difficult to absorb. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released on May 12, prices rose 3.8% year over year. A key driver was energy, which jumped 17.9% as costs climbed amid the US-Iran conflict.
In Carchidi’s view, the inflation impulse is not just another routine print—it reflects real supply disruption. The analysis points specifically to the blocking of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, an event that has helped push energy prices higher and, in turn, lifts overall inflation.
The report also showed core inflation, which excludes food and energy, moving higher than many expected. Core CPI increased to 2.8% year over year, edging above forecast.
Taken together, Carchidi describes the figures as broadly bearish for Bitcoin and the broader crypto sector, but he stresses that the effect will not be identical across major coins.
Risk-On In The Spotlight
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are all likely to face consequences, yet their market positioning relative to inflation and liquidity differs enough to matter.
One major reason Bitcoin may be more resilient—at least in theory—is that crypto markets often respond to the cost and availability of capital. Carchidi notes that “crypto thrives on cheap capital.”
However, with the macro backdrop changing, the expectation is that the “spigot” for liquidity could be tightening rather than widening.
That brings the Federal Reserve into focus. The Fed has kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 3.5% to 3.75% across three consecutive meetings. Still, traders are watching for a shift in policy expectations, pricing in roughly a 30% probability of a rate hike by the end of the year.
Carchidi says this matters more for Ethereum and Solana than for Bitcoin. His rationale is tied to how these assets are commonly perceived by the market.
ETH and SOL, in the expert’s words, are typically treated as risk-on holdings, and they do not have an established “inflation hedge” story that investors can fall back on during periods of persistent inflation pressure.
Bitcoin, by contrast, has long been positioned—by supporters—as a scarce asset that could act as an inflation hedge, which can provide a different kind of narrative support when traditional assets and macro assumptions shift.
Near-Term Warning For Ethereum And Solana
Cardichi suggests that if the energy shock eventually leads to broader monetary loosening, Bitcoin’s scarcity-based argument could become more compelling again over a multiyear horizon.
Even then, he emphasizes that this is conditional—an “if, not a when”—and that the market would need data-driven confirmation for the renewed case to feel convincing.
For Ethereum and Solana, the near-term picture is less optimistic in his conclusion. Their value, according to Carchidi, depends more on the networks gaining traction with users and attracting capital to their platforms.
Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
