Bitcoin slides to $81,300 as Trump Iran comments and oil hit stocks
Bitcoin fell 3.29% to $81,328 near the ETF cost basis as Trump's Iran comments and oil above $111 hit stocks, while ETFs drew about $1.07 billion in three days.
Live chart · BTCUSD, ETHUSD, ADAUSDT · TradingView
Bitcoin extended its slide into the evening, trading at $81,328 at the latest CoinGecko snapshot, down 3.29% over 24 hours. The latest leg lower came as US stocks fell on President Donald Trump's comments about Iran military action, according to Cointelegraph, which said the price was circling the $81,500 average cost basis of spot ETF buyers.
Bitcoin
Since our afternoon recap, Bitcoin has slipped a little further, from about $81,670 to $81,328. Its 24-hour range ran from a high of $84,306 to a low of $80,989, so most of the earlier gains toward $85,000 have now been given back. Over seven days, Bitcoin is down 1.36%. Trading volume over 24 hours was $33.3 billion, according to CoinGecko.
The macro backdrop stayed heavy. Decrypt reports that Brent crude climbed above $111, a five-month high, while Nvidia, Meta and chip stocks fell and dragged the S&P 500 and Asian indexes lower. Currency markets showed the same mood, with the yen at a three-week high on Gulf attacks and AI jitters.
Chart: BTC/USD on TradingView
Ether and the majors
Ether fell slightly more than Bitcoin, losing 3.43% to $2,386.76 after a 24-hour range of $2,372.55 to $2,479.72. Cardano was again the weakest major, down 5.75% on the day and 8.3% on the week.
| Coin | Price (USD) | 24h % | 7d % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ether (ETH) | 2,386.76 | -3.43 | -3.15 |
| BNB | 730.53 | -2.04 | -0.08 |
| XRP | 1.31 | -4.16 | -2.60 |
| Solana (SOL) | 103.56 | -3.07 | -2.58 |
| Dogecoin (DOGE) | 0.078705 | -3.89 | -3.56 |
| Cardano (ADA) | 0.21208 | -5.75 | -8.30 |
CoinDesk described traders seeking shelter in Bitcoin as altcoins slid. BNB held up best among the majors.
Breadth and sentiment
Total crypto market capitalisation stands at $2.741 trillion, down 5.95% over 24 hours. Bitcoin dominance is 59.5% and Ether dominance is 10.6%.
Sentiment data tells a different story from prices. The Fear & Greed Index reading for October 22 is 68, labelled Greed, up from 63 a day earlier and 55 on October 20. It is the highest reading in the last eight days. The daily reading may not yet reflect the full evening decline.
News drivers
- ETF flows: Decrypt reports that spot Bitcoin ETFs drew about $1.07 billion over three sessions, turning October flows to a gain of roughly $460 million, even as prices slipped.
- Coinbase fine: The Central Bank of Ireland fined Coinbase Ireland €3,252,618 (about $3.6 million) over fund safeguarding failures, Decrypt reports. It is the second penalty for the exchange's European arm in a year.
- Tether probe: CoinDesk reports that Senator Richard Blumenthal is looking into Tether payments to the firm of former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines.
- Circle lawsuit: A Circle shareholder has sued Trump, World Liberty and Steve Witkoff, claiming USD1 harmed USDC's ability to compete, according to Cointelegraph.
- a16z rebrand: Andreessen Horowitz is renaming its crypto fund a16z Frontier and widening it to AI, autonomous machines and biology, Decrypt reports.
- Mining: Bitcoin's hashrate hit a seven-month high, Cointelegraph reports, citing BlocksBridge.
What to watch next
- ETF cost basis: Whether Bitcoin holds around the $81,500 level Cointelegraph flagged, and whether the recent ETF inflows continue.
- Iran and oil: Further comments on Iran and the path of Brent above $111, which Decrypt linked to the stock selloff.
- Coinbase court step: Cointelegraph notes the fines and sanctions take effect upon approval by a high court.
- Ethereum settlement: CoinDesk reports on a draft plan to cut finality time fourfold, to about four minutes.
- Political scrutiny: Next steps in the Blumenthal inquiry and the Circle shareholder suit.
How we make this article: software gathers the market data and the news from the sources linked in the article, then cross-checks them. AI writes the text. People choose the sources, set the rules and run the process. Not investment advice.