Bitcoin price USD today has entered a bearish phase, sliding below the critical $80,000 mark on February 1, 2026, as prices fell about 6–7 % in 24 hours and triggered massive liquidation events across crypto futures markets totaling roughly $2 billion or more in wiped-out positions. This represents the lowest levels Bitcoin has seen since April 2025 and reflects a broader shift in market sentiment driven by macroeconomic uncertainty and a withdrawal of speculative capital.
Bitcoin Price USD Today
As of today, February 1, 2026, Bitcoin is trading below $80,000 (around $78,500–$78,800) after sliding roughly 6–6.5 % in the past 24 hours, according to live market data, a move that ignited widespread selling and liquidations exceeding $2 billion across cryptocurrency futures markets. This marks the first sustained breach of $80K since early 2025 and underscores weakening risk appetite among traders.
How Did Bitcoin Get Here? Price Action & Key Levels
BTC Below Support — Breaking $80K
Bitcoin’s price struggled to hold above key technical support around $82,000–$84,000, but persistent selling pressure pushed it decisively below $80,000. On many exchanges, BTC traded around $78,500–$78,700, revealing heightened bearish momentum.
Technically speaking, breaking $80,000 was significant because that level had acted as a psychological and technical floor since November 2025. Once breached, it opened the door to deeper correction territory near $75,000–$76,000, levels last seen in April of last year.
Market Cap and Volume Trends
Bitcoin’s market capitalization slid toward approximately $1.56 trillion, while trading volumes rose modestly — a typical sign that forced selling and repositioning are driving the move rather than new buying interest.
Mass Liquidations: $2B+ Wiped Out
One of the defining features of this downturn has been the cascade of leveraged liquidations — where highly leveraged long positions are forcibly closed as prices fall:
- Crypto derivatives platforms reported over $2 billion in total liquidations in 24 hours, affecting hundreds of thousands of traders.
- A large share of this was from long BTC positions, amplifying selling pressure.
- Ether and other major altcoins also suffered significant liquidations in the same period.
These cascading liquidations often act like a feedback loop: sharp price drops lead to forced sales to cover losses, creating more downward pressure and prompting additional liquidations.
What’s Driving the Sell-Off? Market Forces at Work
1. Macro Uncertainty and Risk Aversion
Crypto is increasingly trading as a risk asset tied to broader financial conditions. Recent shifts in monetary policy expectations, particularly speculation about the Federal Reserve’s direction under new leadership, have led to tightening liquidity — one of the headwinds BTC faces.
In this environment, investors are reducing exposure to speculative assets, reallocating toward less volatile instruments. Historically, when liquidity tightens and interest rates stay higher for longer, assets like Bitcoin can suffer outsized corrections.
2. ETF Outflows and Institutional Rotation
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw substantial net outflows, indicating that institutional investors are taking profits or reducing exposure instead of buying the dip. According to market reports, industry-wide ETF outflows were notable, especially for ETFs like BlackRock’s IBIT.
Outflows from institutional products often precede or accompany price weakness because they reflect capital moving away from the asset class.
3. Correlation with Risk Assets and Tech Stocks
Bitcoin’s price action has increasingly mirrored broader market risk sentiment, including tech stocks and high-beta equities. When these traditional risk/assets experience turbulence, Bitcoin often follows suit — especially when leverage is widespread.
4. Momentum Break and Technical Triggers
From a technical standpoint, losing the $80,000 support level triggered automated stop-loss orders and algorithmic sell signals, compounding the descent. In a thin liquidity environment (weekend trading), these moves can be exaggerated as stop orders stack and find no immediate bid support.
Market Sentiment and Analyst Views
Crypto market sentiment gauges — often tracked via derivatives risk metrics — have plunged into “extreme fear” territory as liquidation events and prolonged declines erode bullish confidence. Long exposure has been easing, funding rates have adjusted lower, and short-term optimism has faded.
Some analysts even warn that if Bitcoin doesn’t reclaim levels above $82,000 soon, deeper support zones around $74,000–$75,000 could be tested next. Longer-range downside projections — including models that incorporate macro liquidity conditions and Bitcoin’s own historical cycles — suggest that prices may revisit these areas before stabilizing.
Ethereum and Altcoins: A Broader Crypto Sell-Off
Bitcoin’s weakness has spilled over into other major tokens:
- Ethereum has also fallen sharply, with prices dropping near $2,400 in sync with BTC’s descent.
- Other altcoins have registered double-digit declines, contributing to broad market sell-offs and correlated liquidation waves.
These moves reflect how tightly correlated cryptocurrencies remain in down markets, where traders often exit smaller tokens first to cover losses or rebalance portfolios toward safer assets.
What This Means for Traders and Investors
Short-Term Traders
Short-term traders should be aware that:
- Volatility is elevated, making risk management crucial.
- Support and resistance levels matter even more, with technical breakdowns signaling momentum continuation.
- Liquidation events can cause abrupt spikes in bid-ask spreads and slippage on trades.
Long-Term Investors
For long-term holders:
- Price volatility, even sharp declines, is not atypical in crypto markets; drawdowns have historically been part of BTC’s cycle.
- Visions of Bitcoin as a “digital gold” or inflation hedge are being tested as macro conditions evolve.
- Some investors use downturns to incrementally accumulate at lower price ranges, provided they understand risk tolerance and have capital available.
Historical Context: Volatility Is Part of Bitcoin’s DNA
Bitcoin has never traded in a straight line. Drawdowns of 20–40 % are historically common, especially after extended rallies fueled by liquidity, ETF inflows, or macro tailwinds. What’s different this time is the convergence of macro tightening, ETF outflows, and technical breakdowns — making the move feel sharper and faster than many expected.
Even in previous correction phases — such as those triggered by tariff policy shifts or macro liquidity shifts in 2025 — BTC eventually found support and rallied after capitulation phases ended. Those historical patterns don’t guarantee future performance, but they remind traders that volatility is an intrinsic feature of crypto markets.
Conclusion: A Key Moment for Bitcoin in 2026
Bitcoin price USD today paints a picture of weakening sentiment and market rotation away from risk assets, at least in the short term. Breaching the $80,000 threshold amid elevated liquidation volumes signals that BTC is in a corrective phase influenced by both macroeconomic forces and internal market dynamics.
For traders and investors alike, this environment demands disciplined risk management, clear understanding of support levels, and attention to broader economic signals — from Federal Reserve policy to capital flows in and out of institutional products like ETFs.
While this downturn may feel dramatic, it’s also consistent with Bitcoin’s historic behavior during periods of tightening liquidity and shifting marketplace sentiment. The road back above $80,000 — and potentially to higher highs — will likely require renewed confidence, institutional inflows, or significant macro tailwinds to counterbalance the current risk-off backdrop.
