Outer space is once again a reality for the orange rocket after consumer prices rose less than expected in December.

🚀 Bitcoin Climbs Higher on Inflation

• Bitcoin prices BTCUSD took off Wednesday and remained well-bid early Thursday after the latest inflation report was a green flag for investors. “We’re so back,” risk-hungry traders, probably, after the consumer price index came in better than expected.
• Bitcoin soared to levels above $100,000 after December’s CPI showed core prices rose 3.2% year-over-year and 0.2% month-on-month. The set of readings was below Wall Street expectations of 3.3% and 0.3%.

✨ Altcoin Rise, XRP Soars to Record

• Crypto markets cheered the upbeat data and sent a bunch of top-echelon digital assets higher by double digits. XRP made history with an all-time high of $3.10, up more than 10% at one point. Solana was also a top performer with a 10% rise to levels above $210 per coin.
• Overall, the novel asset class added just under 4% to its valuation, hitting $3.5 trillion. Volume spiked by a whopping 25% to more than $180 billion traded over the past 24 hours as pent-up demand was let loose.

🍏 Comparing Apples to Oranges?

• The kick-up was a needed jolt to a sleepy market, especially now when there’s just a few days left before Donald Trump is officially sworn in as the 47th US President. Trump has bumped crypto high on his to-do list and has promised huge things for the fledgling industry.
• To put things into perspective: a $3.5 trillion valuation (what the market is worth now) is less than the world’s largest company, Apple, worth $3.6 trillion. The entire S&P 500 index is worth about $50 trillion. Still early for crypto? You be the judge.