The crypto market cap rose 4.5% over the past 24 hours to $3.35 trillion on Wednesday as Bitcoin and other major altcoins reacted to cooler inflation data and positive regulatory developments.

Bitcoin (BTC) price rose 4.5% to a two-month high of $95,800 earlier today before stabilizing below $95,000 at press time.

Ethereum (ETH), the largest altcoin in the market, outpaced Bitcoin with gains of 6.7%, while other large-cap crypto assets such as XRP (XRP), BNB (BNB), and Solana (SOL) posted gains between 4-5% respectively. 

Other major tokens like Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA), and Ethena (ENA), among others, also notched modest gains with most of the top 100 cryptocurrencies trading in the green.

Bitcoin’s sudden surge above the $94,500 mark and a subsequent rally across the altcoin market caught derivative traders off guard, leading to over $591 million in short liquidations in the past 24 hours. Out of this, Bitcoin accounted for $266.58 million.

Traders who hold short positions essentially bet that the price of an asset will decrease. When cryptocurrencies face a sudden and sharp rally, such positions get liquidated, which in turn forces these traders to buy back the assets at current market rates to cover their losses. This ultimately leads to price spikes as this additional buying pressure accelerates the upward momentum.

Bitcoin bulls had been struggling to break through the $94,500 resistance level since early December, so this decisive breakout to the $96,000 range has significantly boosted investor sentiment, as seen from the crypto fear and greed index, which has moved up 11 points to 52.

U.S. CPI data came out cooler 

The primary catalyst that drove the market higher today was cooler-than-expected U.S. CPI data released on Tuesday. While the headline CPI came out at 2.7% on an annual basis, matching market expectations, the core CPI stood at a lower than forecasted 2.6%.

Cooler CPI data means that inflationary pressures are easing more quickly than anticipated, and it is typically a signal that tends to lead toward Fed rate cuts. Increasing odds of a Fed rate cut, in turn, tend to increase risk appetite for assets such as cryptocurrencies, as lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets and improve overall market liquidity.

Market shrugs off delay in the US CLARITY Act

While U.S. Senators have pushed the vote on the CLARITY Act to the last week of January, investors remain optimistic over its impact after it receives final approval.

The CLARITY Act aims to bring long-awaited transparency and clear jurisdictional boundaries to the crypto market by specifying which digital assets are securities and which are considered commodities. 

Market participants believe the bill will serve as a definitive catalyst for institutional adoption, as it effectively removes the regulatory fog that has deterred major capital allocators from entering the space.

Crypto ETF flows uplift market sentiment

Institutional demand for crypto ETFs has also played its part in supporting today’s gains. As per data from SoSoValue, inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs surged nearly 7x from Monday, drawing in $753.7 million in net inflows. Ethereum ETFs also attracted nearly $130 million in inflows during this period, while other altcoin ETFs like Solana and XRP, among others, also recorded positive net flows.

If this trend continues to accelerate, it could further reinforce the current market recovery and potentially drive prices toward new highs.