Bitcoin Hovers Near $80k as ETFs See Outflows and Leverage Gets Flushed

In digital asset markets, Bitcoin spent the weekend drifting slightly lower but still trading near record territory. As of Saturday, October 24, the benchmark cryptocurrency changed hands around $80,700 per coin, down a little over 1% from the previous day. The modest price drop masked heavier flows under the surface: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw sizeable net outflows late in the week, while derivatives venues reported hundreds of millions of dollars in leveraged positions being forcibly liquidated. Earlier in the week, those same ETFs had attracted strong inflows and crypto‑linked stocks rallied, but the tone shifted as profit‑taking set in and volatility picked up across equities and rates. Even so, Bitcoin remains the dominant asset in a roughly $2.7 trillion crypto market, and the key question for longer‑term investors is whether institutional participation via ETFs continues to deepen. If it does, ETF flows and positioning in futures are likely to play an even larger role in driving short‑term swings around that psychologically important $80,000 level.