Bitcoin falls 4%, gold drops amid fears of oil supply disruption
Key Facts
Bitcoin fell 4% to $81448.0 in trading on October 22, 2026, at 21:39 GMT, according to Investing.com, in a session that also saw gold losses and concerns over oil supplies. The cryptocurrency's decline came after its price approached $85000 overnight, erasing its early gains. In the previous session, on October 21, it had risen 2.2% to $84792.2 at 21:38 GMT, according to the same website. EL7 data recorded bitcoin's close at $81416.09 on October 22. In precious metals, Investing.com reported that spot gold fell 2.8% to $4024.55 an ounce in the same session. The metal's October losses follow a 6.6% decline in gold futures during September, according to a bulletin prepared by Inspirante Trading Solutions and published on CME Group's website.
In energy markets, U.S. crude closed at $99.47 a barrel on October 22, according to EL7 data. Brent crude closed the same day at $113.17 a barrel, remaining above U.S. crude. Investing.com linked concerns over supply disruptions during that session to fresh attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi energy facilities and airports. The attacks came amid a regional escalation during which Egypt's top security body announced on October 18 that it had approved support for Saudi Arabia, according to the Associated Press. The agency said Egypt's support for its Saudi ally came in response to the Houthi escalation.
In Japan, Statistics Bureau data released on October 23, 2026, showed annual headline inflation rose to 2.1% in September. Consumer prices had risen 1.9% in August, according to the bureau's monthly comparison. Annual inflation excluding fresh food also accelerated to 2.1% in September. That followed a reading of 1.7% in August, marking a pickup in the pace of price increases for this measure as well. Inflation excluding fresh food and energy stood at 2.4% year on year in September. Price growth on the measure excluding those two components thus exceeded both headline inflation and inflation excluding fresh food during the same month.
The Statistics Bureau attributed the acceleration in inflation to contributions from several categories, including water charges, whose contribution to the rise in the overall index increased. Accommodation charges also contributed to the larger annual increase in consumer prices, according to the bureau's breakdown. Other categories included food excluding fresh food, which also helped accelerate the rise in the overall index. Household durable goods made a further contribution to faster inflation in September. On monetary policy, the Bank of Japan said in its previous decision, issued in September: "The Bank will encourage the uncollateralized overnight call rate to remain at around 1.25%."
Upcoming economic releases include U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index data, listed on CME Group's calendar for October 29. The Bank of Japan begins its next monetary policy meeting on the same day, according to the schedule published by the bank. The meeting runs through October 30, the date scheduled for the release of "The Bank's View" in the Outlook for Economic Activity and Prices report. The full text of the Outlook Report will follow on November 2, according to the Bank of Japan's release calendar. The bank set 14:00 Japan time for the release of the full text of the October report.