Bitcoin hovers near $80,000 as AI stock jitters spill into crypto

Bitcoin slipped below $80,000 on October 26, 2026, falling as much as 1.4% to an intraday low around $79,300 before clawing back to roughly $80,000-$80,300. The trigger did not come from inside crypto. It came from Wall Street’s growing unease with artificial intelligence stocks, and Bitcoin got caught in the crossfire. A tech problem with a crypto price tag A broad risk-off mood swept global markets, led by a sell-off in AI-related equities. Investors have started asking harder questions about tech valuations and the eye-watering sums companies are pouring into AI. The clearest sign of nervous money came from US spot Bitcoin ETFs. These funds recorded $772.4 million in net outflows across October 23-24, 2026, a sharp turn from the inflows they had been posting before. One of those days accounted for an estimated $635-636 million in withdrawals on its own. That makes it the largest single-day exit from the products since June 2026. Leverage makes everything louder Leveraged liquidations tied to Bitcoin and Ether topped $400 million in a short window as the dip unfolded. Notably, the damage stayed relatively contained. Bitcoin has shown some resilience to concerns specifically about...