Bitcoin briefly dropped below $80,000 as technology stocks sold off and investors prepared for the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest-rate decision. The cryptocurrency touched roughly $79,330 before recovering to trade near $80,264, while exchange-traded funds tracking spot Bitcoin recorded more than $773 million in combined net outflows at the end of the week.
The move came as markets also looked ahead to the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. Analysts cited by Decrypt warned that uncertainty around monetary policy, technology-stock valuations and broader risk appetite could keep Bitcoin volatile in the near term.
Bitcoin retreats as risk appetite weakens
Bitcoin fell as low as $79,332 during the 24-hour period covered by the report and later recovered to about $80,240. CoinGecko data showed the cryptocurrency down around 2.5% over the previous week. At that level, Bitcoin remained approximately 36% below its all-time high of $126,080.
The decline occurred alongside weakness in technology shares, an important part of the broader market backdrop for assets considered speculative or sensitive to financial conditions. Tim Sun, senior researcher at HashKey, said the move was mainly connected to a wider correction across global risk assets. He pointed to increasing doubts about whether elevated valuations for artificial-intelligence companies can be supported by future earnings and cash flows.
Sun said investors were not necessarily rejecting the long-term potential of artificial intelligence. Instead, the concern was whether current prices already reflect too much optimism. He added that withdrawals from spot Bitcoin ETFs and the closing of leveraged positions increased selling pressure in the cryptocurrency market.
Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com, also linked Bitcoin’s weakness to technology stocks. She cited persistent inflation, high Treasury yields and expectations of additional Federal Reserve tightening as factors that have reduced enthusiasm for speculative assets. Higher yields and a stronger dollar can make riskier investments less attractive, although the impact depends on broader market conditions.
ETF flows turn negative in October
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced $635.5 million in net outflows on Thursday, according to SoSoValue. A further $137.9 million left the funds on Friday. Together, the two sessions produced more than $773 million in withdrawals and reversed most of the gains from a three-day period of inflows.
Despite the late-week selling, the funds finished the week with approximately $301 million in net inflows, ending a two-week losing streak. October remained negative overall, however, with the ETFs down by about $314 million for the month.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs hold Bitcoin directly and give investors market exposure through exchange-traded products rather than through direct ownership of the cryptocurrency. Their daily creations and redemptions are closely watched because sustained inflows can signal demand from the investors using these products, while outflows can coincide with selling pressure or a reduction in exposure.
The ETF figures therefore offered a mixed picture: weekly flows improved compared with the previous two weeks, but the sharp withdrawals late in the week and October’s overall deficit showed that demand had not been consistently strong.
Key technical levels and upcoming risks
Stephen Wundke, strategy and revenue director at quantitative investment firm Algoz, described $80,000 as a psychologically important level for investors. He cautioned, however, that a break below that mark could be misleading because weekend trading volumes are often low.
Wundke said a more significant concern was the wider decline in trading activity as investors moved out of alternative cryptocurrencies and held more funds in stablecoins. Stablecoins are digital tokens designed to maintain a relatively stable value, commonly by tracking a fiat currency such as the U.S. dollar.
According to Wundke, Bitcoin would need to reclaim and hold $82,000—the level from which it launched rallies in August and September—to support a more positive market case. Remaining below that threshold could lead to a broader pullback in the coming weeks while uncertainty over the economy and financial markets persists.
Sun identified $75,000 as an important support level if Bitcoin continues to fall and expects volatility to remain elevated. Hathorn said the Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday and major technology-company earnings could be as influential for Bitcoin as developments inside the cryptocurrency market. A more hawkish policy stance could strengthen the dollar and pressure risk assets, she said, while any Bitcoin recovery could remain fragile without stronger institutional demand.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data recorded Bitcoin at $80,430.51 at 22:39 on October 25, 2026, with a 0.08% decline over 24 hours and a 1.32% fall over seven days.
Other assets tracked by Moneyiar showed mixed performance at the same time:
- Sun [New] was $0.01632527, up 0.06% over 24 hours and down 1.39% over seven days.
- Nexus was $0.0000006151, up 1.61% over 24 hours and down 13.97% over seven days.
- Flow was $0.02647460, down 2.72% over 24 hours and down 10.07% over seven days.
These figures are Moneyiar market data at the stated time and may differ from prices reported by other data providers because cryptocurrency markets trade continuously across multiple venues.
