Bitcoin surpasses $80,000 for the first time since May as ETF inflows and short liquidations fuel the rally

Bitcoin crossed $80,000 in late August 2026, reclaiming a price level it had not held since May. The move ended a prolonged stretch of sideways and downward trading that had kept the asset pinned well below its all-time highs, and it came fast enough to catch a significant portion of the market leaning the wrong way. The rally marks one of Bitcoin’s strongest weekly advances in more than three years, with prices climbing roughly 24 to 27 percent over a single week. How the move happened The US Treasury moved to lift bond buybacks, which pulled yields lower and nudged investors toward riskier assets across the board. Spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in approximately $1.9 billion during the week of August 17 through 21, 2026 alone, with single-day inflows topping $600 million at certain points. The prior month had already logged roughly $2 billion in weekly ETF inflows, so August’s numbers represent an acceleration of a trend rather than a sudden change in direction. Over $4 billion in short positions were liquidated within a few days in mid-to-late August. When a market moves sharply against heavily leveraged short bets, those positions get force-closed, which means the exchange automatical...