What’s happening in crypto today — Friday, October 23, 2026 🔴
Overall summary: A completely red day — the market followed tech stocks lower.
Prices right now:
BTC: $81,200 to $81,869, down 2.8% to 3.6% — it was above $84k yesterday, then dropped to $81,074
ETH: $2,380 to $2,397, down 2.6% to 3.4% — fell below $2,400
XRP: $1.30, down 3.92%
SOL: $103.72, down 3.11%
DOGE: $0.07893, down 3.60%
AVAX: $9.11, down -5.75%
LIT: -12.59%, the worst performer today
Market cap: $2.82T, down -3.1%; trading volume: $80.5B
Fear & Greed: 50, Neutral - down from 68, Greed, yesterday - a freefall of 18 points
3 major stories today:
1. Nasdaq fell -2.6%, its biggest drop since June - crypto followed suit
AI stocks are selling off, and people are fleeing risk - BTC and ETH are taking the hit
2. ETF flows are mixed:
Last week saw $549M in outflows (BTC $229M + ETH $320M) - 3 consecutive weeks of outflows
But this week has seen 3 days of inflows totaling +$1.07B, with Wednesday alone bringing in +$524.8M
BlackRock IBIT lost $165M in a single week
October is still seeing net outflows: BTC -$617M and ETH -$954M
3. Network news:
Ethereum delayed the Glamsterdam Testnet Fork due to Smart Contract security issues
Starknet voted 93.5% in favor of becoming an independent L1 - leaving Ethereum! 3,200 votes, its highest turnout ever
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty has risen to its highest level in 7 months - Hashrate remains strong despite the price falling
Strategy bought $193M in STRC preferred shares and only $22.1M in BTC - shifting its strategy away from accumulation
What’s next?
Today: Europe PMI + U.S. Jobless Claims + $49M worth of GRAM unlocks
October 27-28: FOMC - 85% expect the Fed to keep rates at 3.75-4.00%
October 29: Q3 GDP + PCE Inflation - these will determine whether there’s a December rate hike (90% probability)
TRUMP invokes the Defense Production Act for oil - WTI $107 and Brent $115 - inflation is rising
Analysis: Where are we headed?
BTC is eyeing $80,000 as psychological support, ETH is eyeing $2,400. If they break below: we’ll visit $77k.
Money is still flowing into rising Privacy Coins, but DeFi is down -3.9% and Stablecoins are steady.
Bottom line: The market is cautious until the Fed meeting on October 28. No Altseason for now; BTC Dominance is rising at 60.29% - keep cash.