Bitcoin Crypto News: Volume Slumps 55% as Bitcoin Marks 18 Years

Bitcoin Crypto News: BTC Marks 18 Years as Trading Activity Slumps

Bitcoin Crypto News on October 31 carries an odd mix. The network turned 18, yet Bitcoin trading volume fell 55.06% in 24 hours to $25.61 billion, per live market data. Bitcoin price today sits at $77,368.21, down just 0.27%. 

Birthdays usually bring noise. This one brings quiet, and the causes range from record fund exits to an election days away. 

Bitcoin Anniversary: How a 9-Page Paper Led to a $126,198 BTC ATH

On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto sent a nine-page paper to a cryptography mailing list, and the original document is still online. Two months later, the first block went live with a London Times headline about bank bailouts hidden inside. Days after that, 10 BTC moved from Satoshi to Hal Finney. The milestones since then:

• 2010: Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 $BTC for two pizzas

• April 2011: Satoshi’s last email said he had moved on, after forum posts stopped in December 2010

• Since then: four halvings, legal tender status in El Salvador, spot BTC ETFs on Wall Street and a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

• BTC ATH: $126,198.07 on October 7, 2025, per CoinMarketCap price data

Today’s price sits 38.7% below that peak. The gap shows in the activity numbers, the next piece of this Bitcoin crypto news.

Bitcoin Trading Volume Today: Falls 55% to $25.61B as the Price Holds Firm

Bitcoin trading volume is the sharper signal. A drop this size means far fewer buyers and sellers are active, even with the anniversary in the headlines. The CoinMarketCap figures as of October 31:

• BTC price today: $77,368.21, down 0.27%

• 24-hour range: $76,189.88 to $77,952.30

• 24-hour volume: $25.61B, down 55.06%

• Market cap: $1.55T

• Volume to market cap: 1.65%

The range spans only about 2.3%, so price stayed calm while activity faded. Thin trading often points to caution, not panic, and much of that caution traces to the funds.

Bitcoin Crypto News: Spot BTC ETF Outflows of $643M Test $76K Support

The Bitcoin latest news from fund flows helps explain the fade. On October 30, US spot BTC ETF products lost $643.33 million, the largest daily outflow in four months. BlackRock’s IBIT (-$233.7), Fidelity (-$201.04), Grayscale and ARK 21Shares funds led the exits. Data as per SoSoValue:

• Daily outflow: $643.33M, a four-month record

• All crypto ETFs: nearly $800M out, Ethereum products included

• Ethereum ETFs: a record $1.61B monthly outflow

• Market value erased: about $300B

Bitcoin ETF outflows of this scale pull cash from the market, and lower volume follows. The price slipped from $80,000 to nearly $77,000 on October 31. 

Binance founder CZ also addressed a recent Binance hack he seized at $6.3 billion. He argued the effect on Bitcoin stays small, since Mt. Gox lost 650,000 $BTC, over 5% of supply. 

In his view, who is hurt and whether the platform repays users matters most.

Next Catalyst: US Midterms Near as Bitcoin Faces a Post-Election Pattern Question 

The Bitcoin update today turns to politics. The US midterm elections take place on November 3, and the timing ties back to the volume drop. Quiet trading often appears before a major event, as buyers and sellers hold back until the result is clear.

• Vote date: November 3, 2026, as per US Vote Foundation

• Claim in circulation: Bitcoin has corrected after every past US midterm, per Analyst Ali Martinez coverage.

• Sample size: only a few midterm cycles have occurred since Bitcoin began trading

A pattern built on so few cases proves little, and it does not show that elections cause the moves. Policy is the stronger link. The US government has created a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and a new Congress will shape crypto rules, so the result carries real weight for the market. 

Whether this midterm repeats the old pattern will become clear only after the votes are counted. 

In the End

Two tests will shape the next chapter: the midterm result and whether volume recovers from this 55% drop. Renewed spot BTC ETF inflows after the vote would turn this Bitcoin Crypto News from a warning into a recovery story. More outflows would leave the birthday overshadowed by cautious trading. 

In crypto news today, the oldest crypto asset still faces the newest question: who buys next? This is not financial advice, and Bitcoin can lose value. 

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Crypto markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.