Bitcoin consolidates after 3% loss as AI fears stoke fresh stock-market weakness

Bitcoin (BTC) ranged below $82,000 into Friday’s Wall Street open as stock markets slid further on AI financing concerns.Key points:Bitcoin struggled to rebound after falling more than 3% on Thursday. It briefly dropped below $81,000.AI infrastructure spending remained a persistent market concern as neocloud infrastructure provider CoreWeave slid to 17-month lows.Crypto market downside liquidated $280 million worth of long positions in 24 hours, while Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) outflows hit $635 million.Analysis warns of AI “credit stress” contagionData from TradingView showed BTC/USD stabilizing after shedding 3.2% on Thursday, falling as low as $80,840 on Bitstamp.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewMarket nerves over AI-sector profitability and the cost of insuring large players against default reemerged this week. CoreWeave, a neocloud provider, was among the biggest decliners, down 15.5% week to date at the end of Thursday’s US trading session, its lowest levels since May 2025. A price target downgrade by Bernstein from $74 to $51 contributed to the pressure.“The spread of credit stress across the neocloud infrastructure sector has triggered broade...