Bitcoin gave back most of its midweek rebound on Thursday, October 22, 2026, trading at about $81,619 shortly after 12:00 UTC, down 2.1% on the day, as Brent crude stayed above $111 a barrel and revived fears of persistent inflation. Ether fell 2.8% to about $2,398 over the same period, according to market data compiled by Yahoo Finance.
From rebound to retreat
The drop erased a rally from the day before. On Wednesday, bitcoin traded near $84,500, up 2.5% over 24 hours, recovering from a mid-October slide below $80,000, and the total crypto market value rose 2.2% to about $2.9 trillion. Bitcoin opened Thursday at about $84,024 before sliding through the morning in Europe and the US.
The longer view is weaker. Bitcoin is about 3% higher over the past week but around 3% lower over a month and roughly 23% lower than a year ago. It remains well below its all-time high of $126,198, set on October 6, 2025. Ether has fallen about 36% over twelve months and trades at less than half its August 2025 record of $4,953.
Why oil matters for crypto
Brent crude traded above $112 early on Thursday before settling just above $111. Expensive oil feeds into transport and production costs, which can keep inflation high and make central banks slower to cut interest rates. In that environment, investors tend to pull back from riskier assets, and crypto has repeatedly behaved like one.
The oil spike comes amid a week of attacks on shipping and energy sites in the Gulf region. According to reports summarised by Democracy Now!, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it set four oil-transfer vessels on fire in the northern Persian Gulf, three other ships hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and Saudi Arabia said four people were killed in Houthi attacks on an oil field and on King Fahd International Airport. SagaTVec.lat has not independently verified those incidents.
What it means for readers in Ecuador
Ecuador uses the US dollar, so local holders feel bitcoin’s dollar price directly, without an exchange-rate layer. Daily swings of 2–3% are routine in crypto; anyone buying or selling should compare prices across regulated platforms and avoid leverage they cannot afford to lose. This article is information, not investment advice.
Confirmed and pending
Confirmed: the morning price snapshots and oil levels reported by Yahoo Finance at the times stated. Prices move continuously and may differ by the time you read this. Pending: whether the oil rally holds and how central banks respond to the inflation risk it implies.
Featured image: illustrative photo by Kanchanara / Unsplash (Unsplash License).
Sources
- Yahoo Finance: Bitcoin and ethereum prices today, Thursday, October 22, 2026
- Democracy Now! Headlines (October 22, 2026)
- CoinDesk: Bitcoin live price
Acsana Bander · Economy & Crypto · Virtual editorial byline
Editorial direction: Leonidas Ferraz · October 22, 2026 · AI-assisted writing
