Bitcoin drops below $80,000 as traders de-risk before Fed meeting
Bitcoin slipped below the $80,000 mark on Oct. 26 as traders reduced exposure ahead of an upcoming Federal Reserve policy decision and amid broader pressure in equities.
Bitcoin fell below $80,000 on Monday, Oct. 26, touching an intraday low of $79,785 during Asian trading before dipping again as the U.S. market opened, trading near $79,665. The decline followed a weekend sell-off that liquidated more than $800 million in crypto positions, the vast majority of which were long bets, as digital asset markets struggled to defend recent gains.[4][5][9][7]
The cryptocurrency's drop coincided with weakness across global markets ahead of the Federal Reserve's Oct. 27–28 policy meeting. In Asia, South Korea's Kospi closed about 1.5% lower after Goldman Sachs cut its target for the index by 25%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.8%. Market participants attributed the risk-off tone to concerns over artificial intelligence stock valuations, spot ETF outflows, and geopolitical friction linked to Iran.[1][2][4][6]
Major altcoins mirrored the slide, with ether dropping toward $2,300 and solana hovering around $100. Analysts and chart watchers are closely monitoring support at $79,500 and Saturday's low of $79,145. According to an Oct. 21 report by Glassnode, the aggregate cost basis for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs and corporate treasuries sits between $80,000 and $81,500, a band that had previously offered price support. Markets face an eventful macro calendar this week, with U.S. GDP and PCE inflation data due Thursday and roughly $11 billion in Bitcoin options set to expire Friday.[2][3][4][8][9]
Key facts
- Bitcoin slipped below $80,000 on Oct. 26, reaching $79,785 in Asian trading and remaining under pressure around $79,665 at the U.S. market open.
- More than $800 million in crypto positions, primarily longs, were liquidated during the 24-hour weekend pullback.
- South Korea's Kospi fell 1.5% and Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.8% as Goldman Sachs reduced its Kospi target by 25%.
- Rate futures priced a 90.6% chance that the Federal Reserve holds its 3.75%-4% range and a 9.4% probability of a 25-basis-point hike.
- Glassnode estimated the average cost basis for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs and corporate treasuries between $80,000 and $81,500.
- Ether traded near $2,300 to $2,331 and solana near $100 to $101 during the crypto sell-off.
- U.S. GDP and PCE inflation data are scheduled for release on Thursday, Oct. 29, followed by the expiration of approximately $11 billion in Bitcoin options on Friday.
Sources · 8 sources
- DE
DecryptArticle ·
Bitcoin Dips Below $80,000 Ahead of Fed Decision, Midterms Analysts point to a sell-off in AI stocks and ETF outflows, with HashKey's Tim Sun flagging $75,000 as the next key support level.
Open source - CO
CoindeskArticle ·
Bitcoin slips under $80,000 as traders de-risk ahead of Fed meeting Ether and XRP led losses among the majors as the AI trade took another hit in Asia, where Goldman Sachs cut its Kospi target by 25%.
Open source - LS
Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X ·
Glassnode said last week that the spot ETFs' average cost had acted as support in October. Bitcoin briefly fell under $80,000 on Monday and was near $80,400 two days before the Fed's rate decision. https://t.co/O9Bnqb2ked
Open source - UN
UnchainedArticle ·
Bitcoin Briefly Dips Below $80,000 as AI Worries Weigh on Asian Stocks Before the Fed Decides Bitcoin slipped under $80,000 during Asian trading hours on Monday, Oct. 26, and stood at $79,785 at 08:07 UTC. It was back at $80,440 by 09:40 UTC, up about 0.4% over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data . That leaves it roughly 4% lower than its level at the start of Thursday, Oct. 22, when it was near $84,080. The move came as Asian stock markets fell and crypto traders trimmed exposure ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Oct. 27-28 policy meeting . Among other large tokens, ether changed hands near $2,331, XRP at $1.29 and solana near $101, per CoinGecko. Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter . Asian Markets and the Fed South Korea’s Kospi , where chipmakers carry heavy weight, closed about 1.5% lower on Monday, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended down 0.8%, according to Yahoo Finance data. The Fed will announce its decision on Wednesday. It lifted its target range to 3.75%-4% in September, the first increase since 2023. Rate futures priced a 90.6% chance that policymakers under Fed Chair Kevin Warsh hold that range this week and a 9.4% chance of a quarter-point hike, per the CME FedWatch tool as of 4:05 a.m. CT Monday. Vikas Gupta, Bybit’s country manager for India, cited worries over AI company valuations and higher oil prices, and said forced liquidations of leveraged bets could sharpen short-term swings, according to CNBC-TV18 . Oil was already on Glassnode’s radar. In its Oct. 21 weekly report , the onchain analytics firm wrote that “should oil keep pushing inflation expectations higher, a second hike would be harder to rule out.” Where $80,000 Sits Bitcoin’s recent drop again brings it near the US spot ETFs’ cost basis. Glassnode’s Oct. 21 report placed the spot ETFs’ and corporate treasuries’ cost bases between $80,000 and $81,500. Glassnode said that the cost basis has provided support this month. Bitcoin had swept down to about $80,000 on Oct. 15 before buyers stepped back in. Glassnode’s liquidation map showed leveraged positions bunched above the market, near $85,000 and $87,000. Beyond the Fed, US GDP and PCE inflation figures are due Thursday, Oct. 29, and roughly $11 billion in bitcoin options expire on Friday, CNBC-TV18 reported , drawing on updates from crypto platforms BitDelta India and Mudrex. Related Listen: 3.7% CPI and $110 Brent. Can Anything Cool Inflation Soon? The post Bitcoin Briefly Dips Below $80,000 as AI Worries Weigh on Asian Stocks Before the Fed Decides appeared first on Unchained .
Open source - CB
Coin Bureau@coinbureauPost on X ·
🚨ALERT: Bitcoin falls below $80,000 during U.S. stock market open.
Open source - DE
DecryptArticle ·
Morning Minute: Bitcoin Breaks Below $80,000 as Iran Fears Hit the Weekend Some relief is appearing this morning as oil and rates fall, with a big macro week ahead featuring major earnings, FOMC and key data drops.
Open source - C®
CryptoSavingExpert ®@CryptoSavingExpPost on X ·
Bitcoin has been rejected again as US trading gets underway, with $80K failing to hold. The level that matters now is $79,500. If buyers can't reclaim it, Saturday's low around $79,145 is back in play. We've got a busy macro week ahead, with the Fed decision and inflation data still to come. For now, BTC needs to prove it can hold support before we start calling this a recovery.
Open source - FN
Frank-News@francobocaPost on X ·
Crypto: morning update (Oct 26, 2026, 12:00AM) Bitcoin: $79,488.21 -1.61% Ethereum: $2,300.51 -2.35% Solana: $100.13 -2.09% https://t.co/1n8KX2BmdL
Open source - TM
That Martini Guy ₿@MartiniGuyYTPost on X ·
Bitcoin has just slipped back below $80,000, and the US session is starting with BTC right on top of a critical support zone. The $79,500 level has caught the price on previous dips. We're now trading around $79,665, with the latest 1H candle pushing below it. If buyers can't reclaim $79,500, Saturday's low around $79,145 comes back into play. On the upside, $81,500 is the level I'd want to see reclaimed before getting more optimistic. There's still a lot of resistance overhead after that drop from nearly $85,000. More than $800M in crypto positions were liquidated over 24 hours during the weekend sell-off, most of them longs. A lot of leverage has been flushed out, but that doesn't mean the bottom is in. We've got the Fed decision on Wednesday, PCE inflation and GDP on Thursday, plus major tech earnings this week. I'd rather wait for Bitcoin to reclaim resistance than assume every bounce is the start of a recovery. $79,500 is the level to defend now.
Open source