Bitcoin braces for CPI surprise and Christopher Waller testimony on July 14, 2026
On July 14, 2026, the U.S. released June CPI data as Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller testified before the Senate Banking Committee on inflation and the interest-rate path. Headline CPI rose 3.4% year over year versus 3.2% previously and 3.3% expected, while core CPI came in at 3.8%, slightly above forecasts. Alongside the hawkish testimony, markets lifted the probability of no rate cut in September to 78%. The event does not involve new crypto regulations or protocol-level changes, but tighter dollar liquidity and weaker risk appetite can pressure high-beta assets such as BTC and ETH in the short term.