Bitcoin slipped below $80,000 in Asian trading as investors reduced exposure to riskier assets before this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The decline came alongside losses across major cryptocurrencies and renewed weakness in technology shares linked to the artificial-intelligence trade.
The market is focused less on an expected rate decision this week than on whether Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh signals that interest rates could rise in December. Higher rates can make borrowing more expensive and reduce the liquidity available to assets such as cryptocurrencies and stocks. According to CoinDesk, bitcoin was down nearly 2% at about $79,800 on Monday morning in Asia.
Major cryptocurrencies move lower
Selling spread across most of the largest digital assets. Ether fell nearly 3% to slightly above $2,300, while XRP declined about 3% to $1.28. Solana dropped 2% and was close to the $100 level.
Other tokens also weakened:
- DOGE, ZEC, HYPE and BNB fell between 1% and 2%.
- TRX was the only major token listed in the report to rise, gaining less than 1%.
Jeff Mei, chief operating officer at crypto exchange BTSE, said investors appeared to be reducing risk before the Federal Reserve meeting. He said the key issue for crypto markets would be how strongly the central bank’s chair hints at a possible December rate increase, rather than whether rates change at this week’s meeting.
The Federal Reserve is scheduled to announce its decision on Wednesday. Investors will then assess Chair Kevin Warsh’s press conference for indications about the central bank’s future policy direction. The source material said that concerns over high oil prices, the US-Iran conflict and inflation could contribute to a more forceful tone from the Fed, potentially pointing to tighter financial conditions.
AI-related selling adds to market pressure
Cryptocurrency weakness coincided with another decline in Asian technology shares. The continuing sell-off in the artificial-intelligence trade weighed on broader investor sentiment, particularly in markets with large semiconductor and technology exposures.
South Korea’s Kospi fell 1% after Goldman Sachs strategists cut their 12-month target for the index by 25%. Chipmakers, including companies that carry significant weight in the index, were a major focus for traders watching the market’s AI exposure.
Japanese chip stocks also declined, while Chinese developers of AI models fell. Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.1% as investors prepared for earnings from major US technology companies later in the week.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.1% and was still attempting to recover from four consecutive weekly declines. The source material described that losing run as the index’s longest since April.
Oil prices provided some relief to financial markets. Brent crude fell 2% from a six-month high to about $114 a barrel after President Donald Trump said it was “getting to be decision time” on whether to reach an agreement with Iran or resume attacks. US Treasuries rose.
Bitcoin levels and Moneyiar market data
The immediate technical level highlighted in the report is $82,500, identified as the floor bitcoin lost on the previous Thursday. The report said buyers would need bitcoin to move back above that level before treating the latest decline as a temporary pause.
Moneyiar market data at 10:39 p.m. on October 25, 2026, showed bitcoin at $80,430.51, down 0.08% over 24 hours and 1.32% over seven days. Ethereum was priced at $2,342.06, up 0.02% over 24 hours but down 1.77% over the week.
The same Moneyiar data, recorded at 10:38 p.m., put XRP at $1.2991, with a 0.56% 24-hour gain and a 0.09% seven-day gain. Monad stood at $0.02155, down 0.49% over 24 hours but up 2.33% over seven days.
The difference between those Moneyiar readings and the lower levels reported during Asian morning trading reflects the separate times at which the figures were recorded. The broader market question remains whether the Federal Reserve’s communication will reinforce the current move away from riskier assets or ease pressure on cryptocurrencies and technology shares.
