Bitcoin held near $81,100 on Sunday, trading in a tight range, while Ethereum weakened to about $2,365 as forced selling across crypto derivatives markets eased sharply from earlier-week levels. The calmer session follows a volatile stretch triggered by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data, which pushed Bitcoin briefly toward $80,000 and drove nearly $1 billion in liquidations on October 15.
Bitcoin Price Today: BTC Trades in a Narrow Range Above $81,000
Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was trading at $81,094 at press time, up about 0.4% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko, an independent cryptocurrency price and market data aggregator. BTC moved between a 24-hour low of $80,823 and a high of $82,178, with a market capitalization of roughly $1.63 trillion and 24-hour trading volume of about $18.02 billion.
The session’s range was about 1.7% wide, and Bitcoin sat roughly 0.3% above its intraday low at press time. Trading volume, about 1.1% of market capitalization, points to subdued participation, consistent with typical weekend conditions.
Ethereum Price Today: ETH Underperforms Bitcoin
Ether (ETH), the native token of the Ethereum blockchain and the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was trading near $2,365, down about 2.1% to 2.3% over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data for Ethereum. ETH traded between roughly $2,360 and $2,427 during the period, with a market capitalization of about $289 billion and 24-hour volume near $7.6 billion.
ETH was trading within about 0.2% of its 24-hour low at press time. Based on the prices above, one ETH was worth roughly 0.0292 BTC, reflecting Bitcoin’s continued relative strength against major altcoins during the current consolidation phase.
Crypto Liquidations Fall to $359 Million
A liquidation occurs when an exchange forcibly closes a leveraged trading position because the trader’s margin can no longer cover losses. Total crypto liquidations over the past 24 hours reached approximately $359 million, according to CoinGlass liquidation data, a platform that tracks crypto derivatives markets.
Long positions, which are bets on rising prices, accounted for about $281 million, or roughly 78.3% of the total. Short positions, which are bets on falling prices, accounted for about $78 million. More than 100,000 traders were liquidated during the period.
Ethereum led individual assets with approximately $82 million in liquidations, predominantly longs, followed by Bitcoin at roughly $48 million. The heavier long liquidations in ETH align with its weaker price performance over the same window.
The figure marks a significant slowdown from midweek. On October 15, CoinGlass recorded nearly $937 million in liquidations, with longs making up about 84%, as reported in The Crypto Times coverage of the $937 million liquidation event. On the same day, Ethereum long liquidations reached $265 million as ETH fell 6.2% following the inflation report.
What Is Driving the Crypto Market This Week
U.S. inflation data: The sell-off began after hotter-than-expected readings from the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures changes in prices paid by consumers, and the Producer Price Index (PPI), which tracks prices received by domestic producers. Both are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Stronger inflation readings tend to reduce expectations of interest rate cuts, which weighs on risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.
Deleveraging in derivatives markets: The midweek wave of forced selling cleared out a large share of leveraged long positions. With liquidation volumes now well below the near $1 billion mark, the market appears to be absorbing that earlier pressure rather than facing fresh cascades.
Price stabilization: Bitcoin briefly tested support near $80,000 before recovering modestly after the inflation-driven dip, while Ethereum posted deeper percentage declines.
Cooling retail interest: Bitcoin has held the $81,000 level as Google searches hit a multi-year low, a sign of weaker retail engagement visible in Google Trends data.
ETF outflows: Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which give investors price exposure without holding the tokens directly, have recorded notable net outflows in recent sessions, according to flow data compiled by Farside Investors. Sustained outflows reduce a key source of institutional demand.
Bitcoin and Ethereum Key Levels to Watch
Bitcoin continues to trade above the $80,000 to $80,800 support zone tested earlier in the week. Immediate resistance sits around $82,000 to $82,600, an area that capped the latest 24-hour high. A sustained move above that zone would signal renewed buying strength, while a break below $80,000 could expose the market to another round of long liquidations.
Ethereum is holding just above the $2,350 to $2,360 area after its recent declines. With ETH trading close to its daily low, that zone remains the immediate test for buyers.
Near-Term Outlook
With liquidations easing and weekend volumes thin, the crypto market is consolidating after a week of inflation-driven volatility. The next direction is likely to depend on whether Bitcoin can hold above $81,000 to $82,000 and whether Ethereum can stabilize against BTC. Broader sentiment will remain sensitive to expectations around upcoming Federal Reserve policy decisions and to the trend in spot ETF flows.
Also Read: Ethereum ETFs Lose $320M as Crypto Funds Record $610M in Weekly Outflows
