On October 15, Bitcoin fell below $81,000 amid a broad sell-off in Asian stock markets. Over the last 24 hours, Bitcoin declined by 2.6%, while Ethereum dropped by 5.2%. Other assets also saw losses: XRP fell by 3.7%, Solana by 3.6%, and Zcash by 11.7%. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization decreased by nearly 4%, reaching approximately $2.8 trillion.
The market downturn followed the release of September inflation data in the United States. The Consumer Price Index rose by 3.7% year-over-year, exceeding both the 3.4% recorded in August and the 3.6% forecast by analysts. Core inflation reached 2.6%, surpassing the 2.5% expectation. These figures triggered concerns that the Federal Reserve might maintain high interest rates for a longer period.
Following the U.S. inflation report, major stock indices declined, with the S&P 500 losing over 1% and the NASDAQ 100 dropping more than 2%. Asian markets experienced sharper declines, as the South Korean Kospi index fell by 8.5% and the Japanese Nikkei 225 decreased by 4.8%. Analysts attribute the synchronized drop in crypto and Asian stocks to a general investor retreat from risk-sensitive assets.
