EL7.AI
CryptoMediumUpdated×2•Originally published 22 October 2026•Updated 22 October 2026•
3 min read

Bitcoin falls 3.5% to $81,652.8 after strong inflows into U.S. funds

Key Facts

1Bitcoin fell 3.5% to $81,652.8 at 14:11 GMT on October 22, according to Investing.com.
2U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded funds received net inflows of $524.8 million in the October 21 session.
3IBIT and FBTC led inflows with $235.0 million and $212.7 million, respectively.
4Meta's capital expenditure reached $34.9 billion in the third quarter, while its free cash flow was negative $2.1 billion.
5The Fed holds its next meeting on October 27 and 28, followed by a press conference.

Bitcoin fell 3.5% to $81,652.8 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, according to Investing.com, reversing the previous session's gains despite inflows into its U.S. exchange-traded funds. The website recorded that price at 14:11 GMT, after the cryptocurrency had risen in Wednesday's trading. On October 21, Investing.com reported that bitcoin rose 2.2% to $84,792.2 at 21:38 GMT, taking the cryptocurrency from gains to losses between the two sessions. Binance.US also showed bitcoin declining in a reading dated October 22, with the price on the platform at $81,278.53. The platform recorded a decline of 3.81% over the preceding 24 hours, alongside concerns cited in Investing.com's coverage over AI infrastructure spending and rising borrowing costs.

Thursday's decline followed net inflows of $524.8 million into U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded funds in Wednesday's October 21 session, according to Farside Investors data. Those inflows coincided with a rise in the cryptocurrency's price during the same session, before it reversed direction the following day. IBIT led inflows with a net $235.0 million, making it the largest recipient among the funds that session. FBTC followed with net inflows of $212.7 million, according to Farside data. The two funds thus accounted for the largest share of net inflows into U.S. funds on Wednesday, with the remaining inflows spread across other funds.

Against the backdrop of the volatility, Investing.com's coverage of Thursday's session reported that concerns over AI spending had preceded Meta's results by several days. The website attributed those concerns to a combination of "heavy debt-funded spending on AI infrastructure and rising borrowing costs." Meta's results showed capital expenditure of about $34.9 billion in the third quarter of 2026, according to the earnings call transcript published by Investing.com. That amount includes principal payments on finance leases, while the company recorded negative free cash flow of $2.1 billion over the same period. For the year, Meta narrowed its capital expenditure guidance to $135–145 billion, from the previous range of $130–145 billion. The revision raised the lower end of its spending guidance while leaving the upper end unchanged. The annual guidance came alongside substantial quarterly spending and negative free cash flow, at a time when the concerns described by Investing.com focused on infrastructure financing and borrowing costs.

On upcoming U.S. monetary policy dates, the Federal Reserve holds its next meeting in October, according to the schedule published on its website. The Federal Open Market Committee begins its meeting on October 27. It concludes on October 28, making it a two-day meeting. A press conference follows the meeting, according to the Fed's schedule, which also sets the publication date for the minutes of the October meeting. The minutes are scheduled for release on November 18, after the committee's meeting and press conference.