TLDR
- Bitcoin traded near $82,800 on Thursday after a late Wednesday run to about $84,800 reversed.
- SpaceX’s Q3 revenue of $14.6 billion lifted markets, but Tesla and Meta results weighed on tech futures.
- Analysts are watching $83,400 on the upside and $82,500 on the downside.
- US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $528 million in net inflows on Oct. 21.
- ZEC rose nearly 3% while HYPE fell 3% among the major coins.
Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $82,800 on Thursday after a late Wednesday run to almost $85,000 reversed. The price now sits close to the $82,500 support level.
BTC climbed nearly 2% on Wednesday and reached $84,600, its first visit to that level since Oct. 7. It cleared the $84,000 ceiling that turned it back on Oct. 13 and 14.
The move followed a SpaceX Q3 earnings report. Revenue came in at $14.6 billion, up 161% from a year ago and nearly 15% above expectations.
Analysts at Truist said the results were the first data point this earnings season to support the bull case for AI cloud providers. US stocks rose at the open.
Bitcoin Gives Back Its Gains
The rally faded quickly. Bitcoin topped out near $84,800, then fell more than $2,000 in about six hours to around $82,600.
Mixed results from Tesla and Meta hurt sentiment. Tesla fell 3% after hours on a lower capital-spending forecast, while Meta rose 2% after raising its AI spending plans.
Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.1% and S&P 500 futures lost 0.5%. Lam Research dropped 7% on a weak outlook.
Asian markets also fell. South Korea’s Kospi lost 2.2%, and China’s CSI 300 dropped 1.7%.
Among other coins, ZEC rose nearly 3% to about $1,290. HYPE fell 3% to about $79, and DOGE dropped 2%.
Analyst Rekt Capital said bitcoin needs a daily close above $83,400. He wrote on X that a rejection there would send the price back below $82,500.
Analyst Bob Loukas said on X that bitcoin appears to be confirming a new cycle. He sees an upside target in 30 to 45 days, but said a loss of the recent lows at $79,600 would call for a defensive stance.
Bitcoin appears to be confirming the new cycle here. These events provide a really clear and clean setup.
The upside target is around 30 to 45 days, room for a good advance. It is however not guarantee of a major upside move, but provides an excellent anchoring point because a… https://t.co/doyl9ZCtaT pic.twitter.com/Ss9RCZGkhV
— Bob Loukas 🗽 (@BobLoukas) October 21, 2026
Chart Levels and ETF Flows
On the four-hour chart, BTC/USD broke above its 200-period SMA at $83,878 for the first time since Oct. 14. CoinGlass data showed short liquidations near $110 million.
Chart check: the $84K equal highs got swept, then price slipped back under the 200 SMA. Bulls want that $83,400 daily close, but the level to watch next is $82,500, since losing it puts the $79,600 lows in play.
Analyst Ted Pillows posted that buying is happening across all exchanges. That came as bitcoin dipped back toward support.
$BTC buying happening across all exchanges now. pic.twitter.com/e9XD2Dcj6K
— Ted (@TedPillows) October 21, 2026
Wu Blockchain reported, citing SoSoValue, that US spot Bitcoin ETFs took in $528 million on Oct. 21. BlackRock’s IBIT led with $235 million.
U.S. Bitcoin ETFs Draw $528 Million, Ether ETFs Add $15 Million
According to SoSoValue, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $528 million in net inflows on October 21, led by BlackRock's IBIT with $235 million. Spot Ethereum ETFs attracted $14.96 million, with Grayscale's Ethereum… pic.twitter.com/PFBAJe9sA5
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) October 22, 2026
Spot Ethereum ETFs added $14.96 million the same day.
Bitcoin was trading at about $82,800 on Thursday, flat on the day.
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