Though old news, U.S. inflation numbers from May were disappointing.
Updated Jun 27, 2025, 7:21 p.m. Published Jun 27, 2025, 3:30 p.m.
Bitcoin
continues to consolidate in the $102,000 to $108,000 range and gold is lower by 2% today and roughly 7% from its record high. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq 100 has reached new all-time highs.
A couple of U.S. macroeconomic data points Friday morning — though nearly two months old at this point — might have added to the modestly negative tone for BTC and gold. Personal income in May came in at -0.4%, falling short of the expected increase of 0.3%. Personal spending month over month printed at -0.1%, missing the forecast of a 0.1% increase.
Maybe of more import to markets, the core PCE price index in the US, which excludes volatile food and energy prices and is the Federal Reserve’s chosen gauge of underlying inflation, rose by 0.2% in May compared to expectations of a 0.1% increase. On a year-over-year basis, core PCE prices rose 2.7% versus 2.6% expected.
This data further supports the view that the economy may be heading toward stagflation. Noted goldbug and no-coiner Peter Schiff: “Traders continue to sell gold even as this morning’s release of weak economic data and stronger-than-expected inflation data pushed the dollar index to new lows. Stagflation and a tanking dollar are bullish for gold, regardless of any superficial trade deals ‘negotiated’ by Trump.”
James Van Straten
James Van Straten is a Senior Analyst at CoinDesk, specializing in Bitcoin and its interplay with the macroeconomic environment. Previously, James worked as a Research Analyst at Saidler & Co., a Swiss hedge fund, where he developed expertise in on-chain analytics. His work focuses on monitoring flows to analyze Bitcoin’s role within the broader financial system.
In addition to his professional endeavors, James serves as an advisor to Coinsilium, a UK publicly traded company, where he provides guidance on their Bitcoin treasury strategy. He also holds investments in Bitcoin and Strategy (MSTR).
