Why Is Bitcoin Down Today? BTC Slides Below $82,000 After Hot September CPI

Bitcoin fell below $82,000 on Wednesday, October 14, after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer inflation accelerated to 3.7% in September, up from 3.4% in August. The September CPI report showed prices rising 0.6% on the month, led by a 9.1% jump in gasoline, and the hotter-than-expected reading cooled expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts, weighing on risk assets.

Bitcoin traded near $81,850, down roughly 2.3% over the prior 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap data. Ethereum fell about 3.6% to around $2,447, while Solana dropped about 5.1% to near $105.66, extending a broader pullback across digital assets.

What the September CPI Report Showed

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis in September, following a 0.4% increase in August, the BLS reported. Over the 12 months ending in September, the all-items index climbed 3.7%, a larger increase than the 3.4% pace recorded for the year ending in August.

Gasoline was the biggest driver, rising 9.1% over the month and accounting for more than half of the monthly increase. The energy index rose 5.2% in September, and energy prices are up 20.4% over the past year, largely because gasoline has climbed 34.2%. Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, rose 0.3% on the month and 2.6% over the year, up from 2.4% in August, signaling that underlying price pressures also firmed. The reacceleration contrasts with July, when core CPI met expectations at 2.5% and crypto markets held steady.