- Bitcoin fell below $76,000 on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as US spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs recorded about $530 million in combined net outflows.
- The outflows reversed the previous session’s inflows, which had occurred as Bitcoin briefly rose above $80,000 after the US midterm election results.
- A sharp decline in US technology stocks, driven by concerns over AI regulation, spread to global markets and added pressure on risk assets.
Bitcoin dropped below $76,000 on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as US spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds posted roughly $530 million in combined net outflows. The withdrawals erased the gains from the prior session and coincided with a steep sell-off in technology shares that rippled through markets in the United States and Asia.
What Happened
According to SoSoValue data, spot Bitcoin ETFs accounted for about $430 million of the outflows, while Ether funds lost approximately $100 million. The movement reversed the previous day’s positive flows, when the funds collectively took in $128 million on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) led Thursday’s Bitcoin ETF withdrawals with roughly $200 million in outflows. That figure reversed about $237 million in inflows the fund had recorded on Wednesday. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) posted another $105 million in net outflows, extending its streak of withdrawals to five consecutive trading sessions. More than $1 billion has left the fund since October 30, 2026.
The decline in digital assets came alongside a broader equity sell-off. Citing Reuters, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.5%, its largest single-day decline since April 2025, and entered correction territory. Semiconductor stocks fell 12%, and Nvidia lost 9%. The Nasdaq 100 declined 6.4%, a move that erased roughly $2.5 trillion in market value.
Why It Matters
The timing of the outflows is notable because they followed a brief rally in Bitcoin above $80,000 after the midterm results. The simultaneous drops in Bitcoin’s price, ETF flows, and technology stocks suggest that the post-election optimism faded quickly and gave way to wider selling pressure.
For investors, the episode highlights how closely spot Bitcoin ETF flows have tracked broader risk sentiment. When large equity indexes fall sharply, institutional investors appear to reduce exposure across asset classes, including crypto products. Sustained withdrawals from a single large fund, such as the multi-session outflows from IBIT, can also signal that demand for spot exposure has weakened in the near term.
The sell-off also suggests that Bitcoin is not insulated from developments in traditional technology markets. Market participants who had treated the election outcome as a catalyst for digital assets may need to reassess how much weight they place on that factor relative to macroeconomic and sector-specific concerns.
Market Context
The selloff was tied to shifting expectations for artificial intelligence infrastructure spending. Democratic victories in Tuesday’s midterm elections, which took place on November 3, 2026, raised concerns that tighter regulation could slow the expansion of data centers and, in turn, weigh on demand for semiconductors and technology shares. Investors also noted that the election results included wins in states where opposition to new data centers has grown.
The pressure extended beyond the United States. South Korea’s KOSPI fell as much as 9%, which triggered a temporary trading halt. Taiwan’s TAIEX dropped about 9%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 entered bear market territory after falling more than 20% from its peak. US trading volume was also elevated, with 26.9 billion shares changing hands compared with a 20-session average of 17.7 billion, according to the same reporting.
Bitcoin’s move therefore came against a backdrop of heightened volatility in global equities. The sequence of events, from a brief Wednesday rally to a Thursday reversal, shows how quickly sentiment can shift when a single theme, in this case AI spending and regulation, dominates investor attention across multiple asset classes.
What to Watch Next
Market participants will be focused on the October nonfarm payrolls report, which is scheduled for release on Friday, November 6, 2026. The data could shape expectations for the Federal Reserve’s next policy decision. Fed officials Beth Hammack and Thomas Barkin have indicated that further rate increases remain possible, which adds another layer of uncertainty for risk assets such as Bitcoin.
Readers should also monitor daily flow data for spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, particularly whether IBIT’s outflow streak continues or reverses. Developments in the regulatory debate over AI infrastructure and any further moves in US technology stocks may also influence crypto markets in the coming sessions.
Source: original report
