Top Story
US crypto ETFs lost $610.7M between 12 and 16 October 2026, according to Farside data, after a $1.29B outflow the week before. Ethereum funds lost $320.1M of that total, including $299M from BlackRock's ETHA. Bitcoin funds lost $228.4M.
The outflows matter because Ethereum funds now account for a larger share of the redemptions than Bitcoin funds. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $82.4M in net outflows on 16 October, with BlackRock's IBIT accounting for $71.8M. Month-to-date, US spot Bitcoin ETFs stand at -$617.2M through 16 October. One source counts nine consecutive sessions of Ether ETF outflows since 29 September, totalling about $700M.
Bitcoin briefly fell below $80,000 on 17 October and recovered toward $82,000, according to E8 Markets. That source puts liquidations near $950M. Coinglass-based derivatives data shows a smaller total: $53.68M liquidated in Ethereum and $25.82M in Bitcoin over 24 hours. Of the Ethereum figure, 89.2% was long positions. Open interest fell about 1% to 1.5%, and funding stayed positive but low. The Fear & Greed Index read 54 (Neutral), against a 7-day average of 59 (Greed).
The open question is whether Ethereum's outflows reflect asset-specific selling or fund rebalancing. The research does not settle it.
Major Price Moves
Market Overview
Bitcoin ranked first at $81,714.98, up 0.13% over 24 hours on $12.23B volume. Ethereum ranked second at $2,410.25, down 0.84% on $10.29B volume.
Among the top 20 by market cap, Monero was the strongest large-cap mover, rising 4.91% on $126.96M volume. Solana, XRP and Chainlink all fell over the same period.
Small-Cap Movers
Quack AI rose 95.17% on $211.47M volume, the largest volume among the day's gainers. Surf AI attributes most of the move to a short squeeze. Shorts worth $2.34M were liquidated, against $273K in long liquidations. Quack AI's 16 October post about its Q402 agent-wallet product served as the narrative, though Surf AI notes the post added no new usage data.
Claudia gained 95.80% on $7.86M volume, but no source confirms a catalyst for the 17-18 October move. The best-documented driver is Elon Musk's 14 October repost of a post about the open-source AI IP Claudia. The token rose about 40% on that news at the time.
TEMCO gained 48.32%, but no verified catalyst appeared in the research. The only dated TEMCO news is a Bithumb delisting notice published 16 October. Trading on Bithumb ends 16 November 2026.
Celestia was the day's largest loser, down 14.73% on $130.47M volume. The likeliest driver is a reversal after its 16 October rally, when CoinDesk reported a 16% gain on the launch of Eden, an EVM chain built on Celestia. Upbit will suspend TIA deposits and withdrawals from 08:00 Beijing time on 20 October to support a hard fork. That event post-dates the drop.
Pons fell 11.56% on $23.27M volume. No article in the results explains the 17-18 October decline. On 17 October, Pons said more than 32.5% of its supply had been burned, worth over $91M.
Starknet fell 11.19% on $242.90M volume. Three factors are cited. A non-binding STRK holder poll on a move to an independent Layer 1 runs until 22 October. A monthly unlock of 127M STRK arrived on 15 October. Profit-taking followed a rally of about 122% between 8 and 11 October.
Other Key Events
Schwab Completes Retail Crypto Rollout
Charles Schwab has completed its retail rollout of Bitcoin and Ether trading. Client assets sit in sub-custody with Paxos. Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink trading is planned before the end of 2026, according to CoinStats.
Solana Alpenglow Activates 21 October
Solana's Alpenglow upgrade activates on 21 October 2026 and cuts finality to 150 milliseconds, per KuCoin's 17 October report.
In Brief
- Pirate Chain (ARRR): Attackers minted about 39.8M ARRR, roughly 20% of supply, by exploiting a validation flaw. CoinNess values the minted supply at $9.4M.
- Thailand ETF rules: The SEC framework for bitcoin and ether ETFs took effect 16 October. Funds must be passive and keep at least 80% average exposure to one asset.
- Gemini and CFTC: A judge rejected their bid to overturn a $5M settlement.
- Cobo Wallet: Shuts down 1 December 2026.
- Binance mining pool: Closes 10 November 2026.
What to Watch
- 20 October: Developers decide whether to proceed with Zcash's NU7 upgrade, which would cut block time from 75 to 25 seconds.
- 20 October: Upbit's TIA deposit and withdrawal suspension begins at 08:00 Beijing time.
- 21 October: Solana Alpenglow activates.
- 22 October: The STRK governance poll closes.
- 31 October: Celestia's unlock. Sources disagree on its size, so check Tokenomist before relying on any figure.