Bitcoin Crosses Above $101K as XRP, AI Tokens Lead Crypto Rally Following CPI

The crypto market is in recovery mode on Wednesday following a cascade of selling earlier in the week that for now appears to have flushed out much of the long leverage. The move higher comes alongside a sizable rally in the U.S. stock market following this morning's Consumer Price Index report that matched economist forecasts. The news was enough to convince traders that the Federal Reserve is certain to trim its benchmark fed funds rate another 25 basis points at its meeting next week. The Nasdaq is ahead 1.5% and the S&P 500 just shy of 1%. After having fallen to as low as $94,100 at one point earlier this week, bitcoin (BTC) has recovered to $101,000, up more than 6% over the past 24 hours. The broader CoinDesk 20 Index is ahead nearly 11% over that same time frame, led by XRP's 15% advance. Read more: XRP Rallies as Ripple's Stablecoin Gets Regulatory Approval, CEO Garlinghouse Says Also among top performers today are AI-related tokens, perhaps buoyed by a report in The Information that Apple (AAPL) is working with Broadcom (AVGO) on an AI chip. NEAR Protocol (NEAR), Internet Computer (ICP) and Render (RENDER) are all up by 15% or more over the past 24 hours.