Bitcoin Clears $85,000 After US PCE Inflation Cools to 3.4%

Bitcoin surged past $85,000 and gold jumped within minutes of Wednesday's US inflation release, with gold's move snapping a weeklong decline. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, rose 3.4% from a year earlier. That came in below the 3.7% forecast and eased from July's 3.7% pace. Core PCE, which strips out food and energy, increased 3.0%, under the 3.3% consensus estimate. On a monthly basis, core prices gained 0.2% versus a 0.3% forecast, while headline PCE rose 0.3%, matching expectations. The report lands as the Fed continues its rate-hiking campaign ahead of its Oct. 27–28 meeting. On Sept. 16, the central bank raised rates by 0.25 percentage point to a 3.75%–4.00% range, its first increase since 2023. Of 18 Fed officials, 16 projected at least one more hike before year-end. CME FedWatch data put the odds of an October increase at 72.5% as of Sept. 28, though the probability was below 40% at the time of writing. The US Dollar Index was on track for its best month since June as markets digested signals the Fed still favors higher rates. A cooler inflation print weakens the case for another hike. Lower hike odds typically help Bitcoin by easing pressure from Treasury yields. For gold, higher rates tend to be a headwind because the metal offers no interest. Some bank forecasts had pointed to a potential technical distortion in the inflation data and looked for monthly core PCE of around 0.27%. The Bureau of Economic Analysis updated its pricing methodology for three components, a change expected to shave a few tenths of a percentage point off August's annual figure. Other data remain firm. US gross domestic product grew at a 2.2% annual rate in the second quarter, beating the 1.5% forecast. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending rose 0.6% in August, the largest monthly gain since March 2025. Friday's September jobs report is the final major release before the Fed meeting, with policymakers set to weigh easing inflation against resilient spending and growth.