Bitcoin gains after core CPI rose a less-than-forecast 0.2% in March.

Bitcoin gains after core CPI rose a less-than-forecast 0.2% in March.

As expected, U.S. inflation accelerated last month, driven mostly by rising energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict. Core prices, though, surprised to the downside. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.9% in March, according to a Friday report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had forecast a 0.9% rise, and February's increase was 0.3%. On a year-over-year basis, CPI was higher by 3.3% against expectations of 3.3% and February's 2.4%. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs, was more subdued, rising 0.2% in March versus forecasts of 0.3% and February's 0.2%. Year-over-year core CPI rose 2.6% versus forecasts of 2.7% and February's 2.5%. Trading in a tight range around the $72,000 level in the hours ahead of the news, the price of bitcoin BTC$72,798.51 rose to $72,400 in the moments following the report. U.S. stock index futures also posted modest gains, with the Nasdaq 100 higher by 0.3%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was flat at 4.29%. Amid the war in Iran and the resulting surge in oil prices, markets over the past weeks have shifted from pricing in a series of Fed rate cuts this year to pricing in one or more rate hikes, and now expect no change in U.S. central bank monetary policy. Ahead of this morning's data, there was about a 99% chance the Fed would stay on hold at its late-April meeting and a 97% chance of the same at the mid-June meeting, according to CME FedWatch. As blockchain adoption scales, the metadata available to machine learning models scales with it. Obfuscation-based privacy approaches are structurally degrading as a result. This report provides a comprehensive comparison of all five major crypto privacy architectures and a framework for evaluating which models remain durable as AI capabilities improve. Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.