U.S. CPI rises 3.4%, Bitcoin dips below $61,000

U.S. consumer price index data due on Wednesday and quarterly earnings from crypto firms Securitize and Gemini will headline a packed week for financial markets, as investors look for fresh signals on inflation and the health of the digital-asset sector.

Consumer prices rose 3.4 percent in April from a year ago, the slowest pace since early 2021, but core inflation excluding food and energy stayed stubbornly high at 3.6 percent. Traders expect the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated until inflation convincingly cools, a stance that has kept pressure on risk assets including Bitcoin, which slipped below $61,000 on Monday. The CPI release could shift bets on whether the Fed will cut rates this year or hold them steady through 2024.

Securitize, a tokenization platform for private assets, is set to report quarterly results on Tuesday after raising $47 million in a Series B round last year and expanding its network to 130,000 investors. The company competes with firms like Ondo Finance in turning stocks, bonds and real estate into tradeable digital tokens, a market that Bank of America estimates could reach $16 trillion by 2030. Meanwhile, Gemini, the exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, will publish earnings on Thursday after laying off 20 percent of its staff in December and launching a new lending product in February to diversify revenue beyond spot trading.

The week’s reports come as regulators sharpen scrutiny of crypto firms and stablecoin issuers, making transparency and compliance key to investor confidence. A softer CPI print could lift Bitcoin and altcoins, while earnings misses from Securitize or Gemini might deepen concerns about liquidity and growth in the sector. Institutions are also watching for updates on BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, the largest of its kind, which has seen steady inflows since launch. The coming days could set the tone for whether crypto markets can stabilize or face another stretch of volatility tied to macroeconomic data and corporate performance.