New York, Feb 27, 2026, 12:49 (EST) — Regular session
Bitcoin slipped Friday, dropping nearly 2% to trade near $65,400 after losing momentum from its earlier rebound this week. Over the last 24 hours, trading volume stood at roughly $41 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data.
The decline followed an unexpectedly robust U.S. wholesale inflation print, which pushed the dollar higher and made traders skittish about wagers tied to lower rates. “There’s a real deep unease in markets about inflation and growth so far in 2026,” said Adam Button, chief currency analyst at investingLive. Reuters
The producer price index climbed 0.5% in January, outpacing the 0.3% increase economists had expected. “Given still-buoyant core inflation and the recent firming of job gains, we expect the Fed to remain on pause during its upcoming March meeting,” said Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide. Reuters
Risk appetite was shaky even before Nvidia’s results, which didn’t deliver the fresh AI-fueled rally some traders had hoped for. Global equities sputtered toward month-end. Lately, that’s been significant for bitcoin, which has tracked these swings in risk sentiment.
U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs brought in another $254.4 million in net flows on Thursday, following a $506.6 million haul the previous session, according to Farside Investors. Inflows have persisted, even as macro headlines continue to trigger selling.
Bitcoin’s range Friday has run from around $65,600 up to $68,300, Twelve Data figures show. The last close on that platform? Just about $67,540.
Ether slipped roughly 4% to trade near $1,913, deepening the wary mood among leading digital assets. Trading volume over 24 hours hit about $21.9 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Still, there’s a chance the next move comes down to inflation and monetary policy rather than crypto news. Services led gains in the PPI data, and economists flagged tariff-driven cost issues that might prolong inflation concerns, according to the Associated Press.
Investors face another rate watch next week, with U.S. manufacturing and services surveys and the February jobs data on deck. Whether the economy is slowing or not could make all the difference for Fed policy — and for the timing, or even the possibility, of any rate cut.
The Labor Department will release its employment numbers March 6 at 8:30 a.m. ET, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics calendar. If the figures come in strong, yields could climb—often bad news for bitcoin.
Eyes are turning to the PCE price index—the Fed’s favored inflation signal—set for release March 13, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Bitcoin’s direction could depend on whether that data convinces the market rates have to stay “higher for longer,” or if it hints at possible cuts. Bea
