December inflation data just hit the wires and it's worth paying attention to. Melbourne Institute's numbers show a monthly jump of 1.0% with year-over-year inflation sitting at 3.5%. These macroeconomic metrics matter more than you'd think for crypto portfolios. When inflation numbers start ticking up, it typically triggers broader market movements across both traditional finance and digital assets. Traders are already parsing what this means for central bank policy moves in the coming months. Whether this cooling trend continues or reverses will have ripple effects throughout the entire investment landscape.