December inflation figures came in unchanged, signaling that price pressures remain stubbornly elevated—a development that lands in the spotlight just as scrutiny intensifies around Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell following a Department of Justice inquiry. For crypto markets, sticky inflation data typically signals prolonged monetary tightness, keeping pressure on risk assets and influencing liquidity conditions across trading venues. Market participants are watching closely to see whether persistent inflation readings will continue to shape policy trajectories in the coming months.