Bitcoin price slips below $80,000 as traders de-risk before Fed meeting

26 Oct 2026

26 Oct 2026, 06:08 UTC+01:00

Bitcoin TradeReviewed News Desk

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped below $80,000 again on Monday morning in Asia, falling nearly 2% to about $79,800, according to CoinDesk data. Traders are trimming exposure ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, while another leg lower in AI-linked tech stocks weighed on sentiment across the region.

Majors follow Bitcoin lower

The selling was broad. CoinDesk reported that Ether fell nearly 3% to just above $2,300, XRP lost about 3% to $1.28 and SOL slid 2%, barely holding $100. DOGE, ZEC, HYPE and BNB were down 1% to 2%, and TRX was the only major token in the green.

Jeff Mei, chief operating officer at crypto exchange BTSE, told CoinDesk that investors already appear to be de-risking. In his view the Fed probably will not change rates this week, so the key question is how strongly Chair Kevin Warsh hints at a December hike. He pointed to record oil prices, the US-Iran conflict and inflation as reasons the Fed could sound aggressive.

Fed decision and PCE data in focus

The Federal Open Market Committee announces its decision on Wednesday, October 28, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes the September PCE inflation index on October 29, as BeInCrypto noted. Higher rates make borrowing more expensive and tend to pull money out of risk assets such as crypto.

Macro backdrop is shaky. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1% after Goldman Sachs cut its 12-month target for the index by 25%, chip stocks led losses on Japan’s Nikkei, and Brent crude eased about 2% from a six-month high to roughly $114 a barrel, according to CoinDesk.

Cowen’s bearish roadmap: two of nine steps done

Analyst Benjamin Cowen said on X that two of the nine steps on his bearish roadmap are now complete: a weekly close below $83,000 and a fakeout on October 25. The next steps include the Fed not raising rates on October 28, a hot PCE print, oil spiking to around $120 and the 10-year Treasury yield returning to 5.3%. Cowen says he will follow the view until Bitcoin gets back above $83,000. CoinDesk separately flagged $82,500, the floor lost last Thursday, as the level buyers need to reclaim.

What it means for traders

• Levels to watch: $80,000 as near-term pivot, then $82,500 and $83,000 as the zones that would ease bearish pressure.
• Event risk: Wednesday’s Fed press conference and Thursday’s PCE data can move BTC sharply both ways, so position size and leverage matter.
• Exchange choice: volatile weeks are when fees, liquidity and uptime show. See our crypto exchange comparison, our BingX review and OKX review, plus how we test exchanges.

This article is for information only and is not financial advice.

Related reviews

• Bingx review
• Okx review

Sources

• CoinDesk: Bitcoin slips under $80,000 as traders de-risk ahead of Fed meeting
• BeInCrypto: Bitcoin Falls Below $80,000: Is Benjamin Cowen's Bearish Q4 Roadmap Playing Out?

News is for information only and is not financial advice. More crypto news