Bitcoin dips below $80,000 as hot U.S. inflation data revives Fed rate-hike bets

Summary

Bitcoin fell after back-to-back hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation reports this week and briefly slipped below $80,000 on Oct. 15, according to Bitcoin Magazine and Cointelegraph.

Decrypt reported that September CPI came in at 3.7%, above forecasts, and CoinDesk said the data could put multiple Federal Reserve rate hikes back into play.

A day later, September producer prices beat expectations by 100 basis points, the largest monthly gain since March 2022, Cointelegraph reported.

CoinDesk and Decrypt each reported that nearly $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated, with CoinDesk saying ether made up nearly 60% of forced closures across the two largest cryptocurrencies.

Decrypt said odds of an October Fed hike rose to 29% from 18% a week earlier, while CoinDesk reported that bitcoin later bounced back to $82,000.

Updates

• Update, Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:06:58 UTC: Added the Oct. 14 CPI coverage, the Oct. 15 producer price data and liquidation reports from CoinDesk, Decrypt, Cointelegraph and The Block.

Key facts

• September CPI hit 3.7%, above forecasts. (Decrypt)
• Bitcoin dropped below $82,000 after September core CPI beat forecasts. (The Block)
• September producer inflation overshot expectations by 100 basis points, the largest monthly gain since March 2022. (Cointelegraph)
• Ether accounted for nearly 60% of the forced closures across the two largest cryptocurrencies. (CoinDesk)
• Odds of an October Fed hike climbed to 29% from 18% a week earlier. (Decrypt)
• Bitcoin bounced back to $82,000 after its first fall below $80,000 in a month. (CoinDesk)