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Bitcoin and Ether Fall
Bitcoin and Ether declined over the week as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data pressured cryptocurrency prices and contributed to nearly $942.1 million in leveraged trading positions being liquidated.
Bitcoin traded at $81,485 as of 9:30 a.m. Oct. 17 in South Korea, down 1% over 24 hours and 1.2% over seven days, according to public CoinGecko data. Ether was at $2,418, down 1% for the day and 2.7% for the week.
The total cryptocurrency market was valued at about $2.76 trillion, a 3.5% decline over 24 hours. Bitcoin accounted for $1.64 trillion of that value and held a 59.4% market share. Ether's market capitalization stood at $295.4 billion.
U.S. Inflation Report Hits Leveraged Traders
The U.S. consumer price index for September 2026 rose 3.7% from a year earlier, slightly above the 3.6% forecast. Core inflation, which excludes volatile categories, accelerated to 2.6% from 2.4% in August. Consumer prices increased 0.6% from the previous month, while gasoline prices rose 9.1% and the broader energy index gained 5.2%.
After the report, the cryptocurrency market's total value fell nearly 5% to roughly $2.76 trillion. Bitcoin moved into a range between $81,000 and $82,000, while Ether fell toward $2,350.
About $942.1 million in leveraged positions were liquidated over 24 hours, with bets on rising prices accounting for 91.6% of the total. Ether liquidations reached about $283 million, while Bitcoin liquidations totaled roughly $196 million. A liquidation occurs when an exchange automatically closes a leveraged trade after losses exhaust the trader's available collateral.
U.S. Spot Crypto ETFs Record Outflows
U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds shifted to about $700 million in net weekly outflows during the 42nd week of 2026, according to Glassnode. The products allow investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin through conventional brokerage accounts without holding the cryptocurrency directly.
Net outflows reached $261.4 million on Oct. 14. BlackRock's IBIT lost $110.9 million, and Fidelity's FBTC recorded $152.7 million in outflows, while Bitwise's BITB took in $2.2 million. The group returned to a modest $5.1 million net inflow on Oct. 15, including a $16.8 million inflow for IBIT. Grayscale's Bitcoin Mini Trust lost about $7.6 million that day.
U.S. spot Ether ETFs posted net outflows of $130 million on Oct. 14 and $60.2 million on Oct. 15. BlackRock's ETHA accounted for $110 million in outflows on Oct. 14, while Grayscale's Ethereum Mini Trust lost about $18.8 million. ETHA recorded another $44.4 million in outflows the following day.
Published estimates for Fidelity's FETH inflows on Oct. 15 differed, placing the figure at either $24.4 million or $2.4 million. Total net assets in U.S. spot Ether ETFs stood at about $15.2 billion on Oct. 14 and $15.29 billion on Oct. 15, representing slightly more than 5% of Ether's overall market value.
Altcoins Weaken as New Products and Corporate Purchases Continue
Other major cryptocurrencies also lost ground. Solana fell 4.4% over the week to $104, XRP dropped 6% to $1.31, Avalanche declined 3.9% to $9.91, and BNB slipped 2.8% to $719. Avalanche had fallen 6.65% over a 24-hour period on Oct. 15, though the move was not linked to news specific to the network.
Despite the broader weakness, cryptocurrency investment products and institutional initiatives continued to expand. Pando Finance launched Hong Kong's second spot Solana ETF, trading under the number 02831, on Oct. 13. The fund charges a 0.6% management fee and holds Solana directly without staking, derivatives or leverage.
Strive bought 2,822 Bitcoin for $235 million on Oct. 12 and 13 at an average price of about $83,266, raising its total holdings to 35,595 Bitcoin.
In Dubai, the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts began linking court orders to blockchain certificates on Avalanche's C-Chain on Oct. 14. The system uses a unique cryptographic fingerprint to verify documents without publishing case details on the blockchain.
The market figures reflect prices available at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 17 in South Korea. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile, and the data represent a market snapshot rather than investment advice.
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