Bitcoin Price Faces CPI Reckoning as Analysts Eye $81,300 Support

Bitcoin Slips 1.5% as Crypto Liquidations Top $304 Million

On Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern time, bitcoin is trading 1.5% lower against the U.S. dollar. Bitcoin’s price has surrendered 3.5% over the past seven days, although it remains 6.7% higher than its Sept. 12 valuation. The broader crypto economy, currently valued at $2.79 trillion, has shed 1.82% over the past 24 hours.

Coinglass metrics show that the day’s digital asset price movements have wiped out 89,032 traders with $304.24 million in long and short crypto trades liquidated. Around $42.02 million of the liquidations were BTC longs and $21.19 million BTC shorts.

According to Bitfinex analysts, bitcoin has managed to hold its ground after its recent decline, but there is still little evidence that buyers are returning in meaningful numbers. “The retest has left bitcoin with support below and supply above. Roughly 1.45 million BTC has an aggregate cost-basis between $84,000 and $86,500 and is now held at a small loss,” Bitfinex market strategists told Bitcoin.com News on Monday in a market report.

The market analysts added:

“Some of those holders will likely sell as price returns to their entry. The share of supply in profit stands at 69.6 percent, below the 75 percent that has accompanied sustained advances. A successful retest tells us that selling pressure is limited.”

Bitfinex thinks the upcoming CPI report could play an important role in determining where bitcoin heads next. “A higher-than-expected reading would raise the odds of an October increase and push Treasury yields up,” the strategists explained.

“For bitcoin, the test in that case is whether ETF outflows resume and whether $81,300 holds a second time. A lower-than-expected reading would reduce the October risk. Even then, the last three weeks have shown that good macro news lifts bitcoin only when spot buyers follow it,” the team added.

Wall Street Stalls as Treasury Yields and Inflation Fears Mount

Wall Street is delivering a decidedly mixed performance on Monday afternoon. The Dow has advanced approximately 0.4% as investors gravitate toward established companies and traditionally valued equities.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is essentially treading water, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq has retreated roughly 0.3%. Elevated U.S. Treasury yields, hovering near 5.24%, coupled with climbing oil prices, are adding another layer of pressure to equities.

On Oct. 14 and 15, the U.S. government is scheduled to publish its consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) reports, two closely watched inflation gauges that could shape the Federal Reserve’s forthcoming interest rate decisions. As the analysts at Bitfinex mentioned, markets are watching these data points closely.

Goldman Sachs Sees Opportunity While AI Keeps Growth Hopes Alive

Yet despite the prevailing consolidation and downward pressure gripping U.S. equities and the crypto economy, several reports suggest Goldman Sachs maintains an optimistic outlook for global stocks over the next three months. Magdalena Ocampo, market strategist at Principal Asset Management, maintains that artificial intelligence (AI) remains a powerful catalyst for economic growth.

“AI continues to support growth, reinforcing the outlook for tech and critical suppliers across the supply chain,” Ocampo said in a report cited by the Associated Press. ”Yet uncertainty about AI’s long-term impact persists, making future gains more reliant on earnings delivery rather than potential.”

Wall Street’s lackluster performance and bitcoin’s modest retreat on Monday resemble a market caught in suspense rather than one confronting a genuine collapse. With two pivotal inflation reports approaching, investors may remain reluctant to make decisive moves until the numbers arrive. Until the CPI and PPI figures are released, risk-oriented markets appear increasingly beholden to macroeconomic anxiety rather than the strength of their underlying fundamentals.