New year, new hope for Bitcoin. After several months of running-in, Bitcoin The upward trend has resumed. On Wednesday, the raw cryptocurrency topped $97,000 for the first time in two months, rising more than 6% last week.
The rise in Bitcoin prices came after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell issued a dramatic statement accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of intimidating the agency with a baseless criminal investigation into him. Meanwhile, prices for gold and other precious metals have soared as investors flock to safe-haven assets.
In addition to uncertainty over the Fed’s independence, the latest inflation data appears to be driving Bitcoin’s recent surge.
Russell Thompson, chief investment officer at Hilbert Group, said: “General concerns about the independence of the Fed after Powell’s speech put pressure on the dollar, while consumer price index (CPI) cooled on Tuesday and the global macro backdrop was supportive.”
Smaller cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Solana It has also experienced a boost recently. The former rose more than 4% last week to about $3,338, while the latter rose more than 3% over the same period and is currently priced at about $144.
Regardless, 2025 is shaping up to be a disappointing year for Bitcoin. Despite more favorable policies from the Trump administration, especially the Genius Act signed in July, the price of the original cryptocurrency has fallen by more than 6%. That’s in stark contrast to the S&P 500, which has grown about 17% over the same period.
In early October, Bitcoin prices reached an all-time high of over $126,000, but the last three months of 2025 erased those gains and then some. The original cryptocurrency plummeted to $84,000 in late November, down about 33% from its highs. Much of this decline has continued in the wake of the so-called “recession.” “October Flash Crash”, Day traders lost $19 billion in assets.
While the last quarter of 2025 was a forgettable year for Bitcoin, its price is off to an auspicious start in 2026.