Bitcoin slips under $81,000 after a hot CPI print and a deepening AI selloff
A hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation report briefly lifted bitcoin to nearly $84,000 on Wednesday, then sent it sliding to about $80,400 early Thursday. That’s just above last Thursday’s low of about $80,430. Bitcoin traded under $81,000, down 2.6% over 24 hours.
Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, rose to 2.6% against a 2.5% forecast. A hot print makes another Federal Reserve rate hike more likely, and that tends to lift the dollar and weigh on assets like bitcoin. The Fed meets again on Oct. 27–28.
AI stocks added to the pressure. Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.2% after Anthropic told prospective investors its revenue grew $16.8 billion in the third quarter, a figure that showed growth slowing.
ZEC led crypto losses, down 11% to about $1,100. Ether dropped 5% to about $2,370, and U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs lost about $261 million on Wednesday, according to SoSoValue data.
A daily close below $80,400 would break the floor buyers have defended twice since last Thursday.
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