Bitcoin Holds Above $81,000 as Oil Climbs to a Six-Month High
Bitcoin traded in a notably tighter band on Friday after touching about $81,000 late Thursday, a sharp contrast with the $3,000 swings seen earlier in the week. Early Friday, the token was changing hands near $81,500, down 0.4% over the past 24 hours and still below the $82,500 level it lost as support on Thursday. Across the broader crypto market, performance was mixed. BNB led major gainers, rising nearly 2% to around $745, while DOGE added about 1%. On the downside, XMR gave back part of Thursday’s advance and fell 7% to roughly $607, while ZEC dropped nearly 4% to about $1,200. HYPE, XRP, ether and SOL were also lower by around 1% or less, with ether trading just under $2,400, according to CoinDesk data. Traditional markets were steadier after Thursday’s sell-off. Nasdaq 100 futures were little changed, a chipmaker ETF edged higher before the open, Meta continued to fall, and SpaceX rose following reports that it plans to become a wireless carrier. Oil remained the main macro concern, with Brent crude reaching its highest level since early May ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Oct. 27-28 meeting.
