Crypto Pulse: October 23, 2026 — Bitcoin Holds Near $81,300 After a $635 Million ETF Outflow

Key Takeaways

• Bitcoin held at $81,334, down 0.15% over 24 hours, after U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $635 million of net outflows on Thursday.
• Cardano led the major board, up 0.75% to $0.214, while Ethereum rose 0.29% to $2,399 and Solana was little changed at $103.75.
• The week’s test is macro: the Federal Reserve decision on Wednesday, October 28, with Bitcoin’s $80,000 level in view.

Crypto ended Friday in an unusual position: it was the calmest corner of a rough market. Oil jumped, the Dow fell 653 points and the 10-year Treasury yield returned to 5.00%, yet the major coins barely moved. The day’s real crypto story sat underneath that calm — a sharp reversal in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF flows — and the board below is where it showed up: pressure, absorbed, at least for one session.

The Board

Figures are Market Briefer’s delayed snapshot (CoinGecko, delayed about 15 minutes) as of 4:31 PM CT on Friday, October 23, 2026, ordered by 24-hour move, biggest first.

Cardano (ADA) led the majors, up 0.75% over 24 hours to $0.214. TRON (TRX) followed, up 0.60% to $0.330, and Dogecoin (DOGE) rose 0.55% to $0.079. Ethereum (ETH) added 0.29% to $2,399. Solana (SOL) was little changed, down 0.04% to $103.75. Bitcoin (BTC) eased 0.15% to $81,334 — the softest print on the board, and still a fraction of the moves seen in equities and oil on the same day.

The pattern matters more than any single line. The two largest coins sat at the bottom of the board while smaller majors edged higher, which is consistent with a session driven by flows in Bitcoin-linked products rather than by broad selling across crypto. Nothing on the board moved more than 1% in either direction over 24 hours.

The Story

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $635 million of net outflows on Thursday, according to SoSoValue data reported by CoinDesk on October 23. The withdrawal followed more than $1 billion of inflows over the first three days of the week, so Thursday’s session reversed the week’s direction in a single day rather than extending a trend. CoinDesk reported the outflow as traders turned their attention to the Federal Reserve’s October 27–28 meeting, with Brent crude holding near $113 at the time of its report and keeping inflation concerns in focus.

Cointelegraph, also citing SoSoValue data, reported that the $635 million was the largest single-day net outflow since June 25, when the funds lost $696 million, and that it pushed October’s net flows to a $175 million outflow. The same report put net outflows from U.S. spot Ether ETFs at about $111 million on Thursday and about $9 million from Solana ETFs, while XRP ETFs recorded about $3.6 million of inflows. Fund-level data published by Farside Investors put BlackRock’s IBIT at the front of the Bitcoin withdrawals, with $254.1 million of outflows, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC at $217.5 million and ARK 21Shares’ ARKB at $109.4 million.

Read together, the flow data and the board describe a market absorbing a large, concentrated withdrawal without a disorderly price move. Bitcoin traded between $80,996 and $82,551 on Thursday, Cointelegraph reported, and by Friday’s delayed snapshot it was at $81,334 — inside that range. Whether the outflow was a one-day reversal after a strong inflow week, or the start of a longer run, is a question only the coming sessions’ flow prints can answer. Our explainer on Bitcoin vs Gold sets out why the two assets so often compete for the same defensive flows — a relevant contrast on a day when gold closed below $4,000 an ounce while Bitcoin held its range — and our guide to stablecoins explains the dollar-linked tokens through which much of this trading settles.

What to Watch

Bitcoin’s $80,000 level is the board’s reference point: Thursday’s trading low of $80,996, reported by Cointelegraph, sits just above it, and the $81,334 snapshot price leaves little distance between the market and that line. Ethereum at $2,399 sits just below the round $2,400 level, and Solana at $103.75 has held near $103–$104 across the day’s snapshots.

The scheduled events are macro. U.S. durable goods orders and Conference Board consumer confidence arrive on Tuesday, October 27, and the Federal Open Market Committee begins its two-day meeting the same day. The Fed decision lands on Wednesday, October 28 at 2:00 PM ET, followed that evening by Microsoft and Alphabet earnings — the same events Market Briefer’s Global Close flagged as the week’s tests. Daily U.S. spot ETF flow prints, published after each session, are the crypto-specific check: a second large outflow day would change the character of Thursday’s number, while a return to inflows would confirm it as a one-day reversal.

Educational content — not investment advice. Crypto Pulse is AI-assisted research produced with automated data checks; figures are verified against the cited sources at publication time.