Bitcoin recovered above $82,000 after briefly falling below the $80,000 level for the first time in roughly a month, as a rebound in U.S. stocks and a sharp decline in Treasury yields helped stabilize risk assets. The move came during a volatile session shaped by stronger-than-expected inflation data, renewed pressure on artificial-intelligence infrastructure companies and changing expectations for Federal Reserve interest rates.
Bitcoin rebounds as stocks and bonds stabilize
Bitcoin traded near $82,200 in late-morning U.S. trading, up about 0.5% over 24 hours after gaining roughly 3% in 90 minutes. Earlier, the cryptocurrency had dropped to about $79,950, down 3.5% over the same period, before buyers pushed it back above $81,000.
The recovery coincided with a less negative performance in U.S. equities. The Nasdaq, which had been down nearly 1.5%, moved close to flat, while the S&P 500 gained 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by more than 1%. Solana was up 1.7% among major cryptocurrencies, while crypto-linked shares also recovered. Circle Financial rose 6.7%, and Strategy and Coinbase each gained 2.4%.
Treasury markets provided another source of support. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell to 5.09%, after reaching 5.36% at one point the previous day. Bond yields are closely watched by investors because they influence financing costs and the relative appeal of riskier assets such as technology shares and cryptocurrencies.
Inflation remains a central market concern
The rebound followed a difficult run for markets after the September U.S. Producer Price Index delivered another warning on inflation. Producer prices rose 1.3% from August, compared with a 0.4% increase in August and a 0.5% forecast. Annual PPI inflation accelerated to 6.3% from 5.4%, exceeding the 5.3% estimate.
Core PPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.7% month over month, versus 0.2% in August and a 0.3% forecast. The annual core rate increased to 5% from 4.6%, above the 4.4% estimate.
Other U.S. data were also stronger than expected. Retail sales excluding autos rose 0.9% in September, compared with a 0.5% forecast, while the Empire State Manufacturing Index climbed to 25.5 from 7.6. Initial jobless claims edged up to 199,000 from 197,000 and remained at historically low levels.
The hot inflation figures increased attention on the Federal Reserve’s next moves. CME FedWatch data showed a 27% probability of a 25-basis-point rate increase at the Fed’s October 28 meeting, down from nearly 45% at one point the previous day. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was scheduled to speak at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, with markets focused on whether he would maintain a hawkish tone.
AI infrastructure losses spread into credit markets
The pressure on cryptocurrencies was accompanied by a wider selloff in artificial-intelligence infrastructure and bitcoin-mining companies. CoreWeave became a focal point after its unsecured bonds maturing in 2032 traded at yields as high as 15%, according to Bloomberg. A higher bond yield means investors are demanding greater compensation to hold the company’s debt, reflecting increased concern about its creditworthiness.
CoreWeave shares fell more than 15% on Wednesday and another 8% on Thursday in the reporting, while several other companies remained well below their peaks. Soluna was down 85% from its all-time high, Boost Run 77%, Cipher Digital 67%, CleanSpark 60% and CoreWeave 56%.
Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang said Nvidia did not need to support CoreWeave financially and that CoreWeave’s cost of capital was decreasing. Nvidia invested $2 billion in CoreWeave common stock earlier in the year, and CoreWeave’s data centers rely almost entirely on Nvidia chips and hardware.
TeraWulf Chief Executive Paul Prager separately said the AI infrastructure sector had experienced “a brutal few days.” He said higher interest rates mattered in lease negotiations but argued that delaying computing capacity could cost customers more than the additional financing expense. At TeraWulf’s Lake Mariner site, he said construction costs were tracking at about $9 million per critical IT megawatt, within the company’s stated guidance range of $8 million to $10 million. According to CoinDesk, TeraWulf shares were up 9.2% on the day but remained down 9% over five sessions.
USDC receives EU ‘significant’ designation
The market session also brought a regulatory development for stablecoins, which are digital tokens designed to maintain a stable value, commonly against a fiat currency. The European Banking Authority classified Circle’s USDC as the first “significant” e-money token under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.
USDC is the first of 45 e-money tokens registered under MiCA to receive that designation. The EBA will oversee the token’s capital requirements, reserves and liquidity, while France’s banking regulator will continue to handle governance and other responsibilities. The EBA also signed an agreement with New York regulators to coordinate supervision of USDC operations in Europe and the United States.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 20:59 on October 15, 2026, showed Bitcoin at $81,977.545106897, up 0.39% over 24 hours and 0.27% over seven days. Other tracked digital assets were weaker: Monad was $0.0231337438, down 3.87% in 24 hours and 6.07% over seven days; ONEchain was $0.1068360041, down 2.71% and 19.45%, respectively; and Ontology was $0.053282406, down 2.17% over 24 hours and 12.32% over seven days.
