Crypto market recap: Bitcoin climbs back above $81,000

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Olga Shendetskaya

13.05.2026

Crypto market recap: Bitcoin climbs back above $81,000 — BTC above $81,000, ETH lags

Bitcoin quickly moved back above $81,000 after April inflation data in the United States came in stronger than expected. The market reaction showed that demand on dips remains in place: the fall toward $79,879 was bought, while several major altcoins ended the day ahead of Bitcoin.

Highlights

Bitcoin climbs back above $81,000 after hot U.S. inflation data.
BNB and Dogecoin lead major cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin holds $81,000.
The crypto market buys the CPI dip as sentiment weakens.

Market buys the CPI shock

After the CPI release, the largest cryptocurrency slipped late in Tuesday’s U.S. trading session, but by Wednesday morning in Asia, it had recovered to $81,208. In the latest market snapshot, BTC was trading near $81,138, down 0.1% over 24 hours; Ether hovered around $2,303, losing 0.3% on the day. On a weekly basis, ETH looked weaker, falling 3.2%, while Bitcoin held above the $81,000 area.

BNB and Dogecoin led gains among major tokens. BNB rose 2.5% to $677, while DOGE added 1.3% to $0.1114. Solana fell 0.6% to $95.52, and XRP traded near $1.45, down 0.5%. The picture points not to a broad market rally, but rather to selective demand and a quick buyback in BTC.

Inflation weighs on risk assets, but does not break crypto

U.S. CPI rose 0.6% month over month in April and 3.8% from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The energy index climbed 17.9% over 12 months, while gasoline prices jumped 28.4%. Traditional markets reacted more nervously: the S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.7%, with the main pressure falling on overheated chip stocks.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index stands at 42. That places the market in cautious territory, closer to fear: after a reading of 49 a day earlier, the index declined, meaning sentiment weakened, though there is no sign of panic. The index is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where low values indicate fear and high values point to greed.

Traditional markets react, capital flows remain positive

The data rattled equities more than crypto: the S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.9%, with semiconductor stocks bearing the brunt of the selling.

Asian stock markets recovered early losses after the White House confirmed that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang would join President Donald Trump’s trip to China, boosting chipmaker futures. U.S. two-year Treasury yields held just below 4%, while Japan’s 20-year bond yields hit their highest level since 1997 amid global energy price pressures.

Crypto investment products continued to attract capital. CoinShares reported $858 million in global inflows last week, with $706 million directed to Bitcoin products, $77 million to Ether, $48 million to Solana, and $40 million to XRP. Notably, short-Bitcoin positions saw a record $14 million outflow for 2026 — the largest weekly closure of bearish bets this year.

What the market signal means

The crypto market is entering the next session without a clear trend reversal. On one hand, hot CPI data reduces hopes for easier monetary policy and supports demand for dollar assets. On the other, money continues to flow into crypto funds.

As long as the $81,000 level holds, the market appears to be testing the strength of the recovery rather than preparing for capitulation.

In an earlier report, we noted that Bitcoin falls toward $80,000 after CPI data.

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