Stocks Rise, Bitcoin Rallies as Inflation Remains High; Oracle Jumps on Cloud Gains

• US stocks rose after hotter-than-expected inflation data, seen as influencing Fed policy • Bitcoin continued its rally, rising above $72,200 and notching a 70% gain this year • Oracle shares jumped 12% on progress in cloud computing amid Nvidia tie-up • Inflation remained elevated in February as prices for shelter and gas increased • Apple stock has underperformed recently due to rotation into AI names, China worries, and regulatory concerns