Bitcoin steadies near $80K after the Fed holds rates and ETF flows turn green
Bitcoin is holding around $80,000 after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged on October 28, with US spot ETFs stringing together a three-day inflow streak that pushed October back into positive territory.
Bitcoin is trading in a tight band near $80,000 the morning after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, a muted reaction that suggests traders had largely priced the decision in. The bigger shift this week is in the funds: US spot Bitcoin ETFs have strung together three straight days of inflows, dragging October back above the waterline after a rough mid-month stretch.
The Fed held, and crypto shrugged
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark rate unchanged in a 3.75% to 4% target range at its October 28 meeting. According to Cointelegraph, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh noted that inflation remained above the central bank’s 2% target. Bitcoin’s response was subdued — it was changing hands around $79,848, down about 1% on the day per CoinGecko data cited in the same report — consistent with a market that had already positioned for a hold.
That calm is a contrast to the whiplash of the prior week, when rate uncertainty and heavy ETF selling knocked Bitcoin off its highs. We walked through that setup in our look at how Bitcoin held near $80K as ETF flows swung ahead of the Fed.
ETF flows claw October back to green
The clearest bullish signal is in the exchange-traded funds. Spot Bitcoin ETFs took in roughly $137 million on October 28, extending a three-day inflow streak worth about $424 million in total, per SoSoValue data cited by Cointelegraph. That run was enough to flip the month: October net flows swung to roughly $111 million of inflows, after sitting in the red as recently as the Tuesday before.
The turnaround follows a bruising close to the previous week, when the funds shed nearly $774 million over their final two trading days. For why these daily creations and redemptions move the spot price so sharply, see our explainer on how spot Bitcoin ETFs work.
Ether tells a different story
Not every fund is recovering in step. Ether ETFs lost another $21 million on October 28, pushing their October net outflows to about $1.35 billion, according to the same SoSoValue figures. The split underscores that the institutional bid has concentrated in Bitcoin this month, while Ether products keep leaking — a divergence worth watching for anyone reading flows as a sentiment gauge.
The bottom line
A rate hold absorbed without drama, three days of ETF inflows totalling about $424 million, and an October flow tally back in positive territory describe a market that has steadied rather than surged. Bitcoin near $80,000 is far from its October 2025 record, but the flow data is pointing up again — the signal to watch as the next macro catalysts line up. If you are deciding where to hold or trade through the swings, start with our guide to the best crypto exchanges.
News summary based on reporting cited above. Figures reflect the sources as of late October 2026 and may differ by data provider. For general information only; not financial advice.