Crypto market close, Oct. 18: Bitcoin edges up 0.8% to $81,989
Bitcoin ended the UTC day at $81,989 after a $80,687–$82,139 range; 31 of the 50 largest crypto assets rose and 11 fell. Movers, whale flows, stablecoins and sentiment inside.
Key points
- Bitcoin closed at $81,989 (+0.8%) after a $80,687–$82,139 range.
- XMR was the top-30 standout at +4.2%; 31 of the top 50 rose, 11 fell.
- Whale tracker: 523 large transfers; exchange deposits $535.3M vs withdrawals $462.0M.
Bitcoin closed the UTC day on October 18, 2026 at $81,989, up 0.8% from its $81,310 open, after trading in a $80,687–$82,139 range. Ether ended at $2,408 (+0.5%). The total crypto market capitalization stood at $2.72T (+1.0% over 24 hours), with Bitcoin's share at 60.2%.
Breadth was positive: of the 50 largest assets we track (excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens), 31 rose and 11 fell, and the median move was +0.4%. The standout among the top 30 was Monero (XMR), +4.2% to $598.12.
Majors at the close
| Asset | Close | Day | 7 days | Day range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | $81,989 | +0.8% | −1.4% | $80,687–$82,139 |
| Ethereum (ETH) | $2,408 | +0.5% | −3.9% | $2,332–$2,425 |
| Binance Coin (BNB) | $722.57 | +0.8% | −3.6% | $705.73–$723.24 |
| XRP (XRP) | $1.31 | +1.0% | −6.4% | $1.26–$1.31 |
| Solana (SOL) | $104.02 | +0.8% | −5.0% | $100.51–$104.58 |
| TRON (TRX) | $0.3323 | −0.3% | +0.6% | $0.3312–$0.3339 |
| Hyperliquid (HYPE) | $78.87 | +1.3% | −7.6% | $76.16–$79.36 |
| Zcash (ZEC) | $1,130 | +0.6% | −8.6% | $1,054–$1,153 |
| Dogecoin (DOGE) | $0.0794 | +0.3% | −7.1% | $0.0762–$0.0798 |
| Monero (XMR) | $598.12 | +4.2% | +11.9% | $571.98–$605.45 |
Biggest movers in the top 50
Up: Monero +4.2% · Pepe +3.9% · Arbitrum +3.3% · NEAR Protocol +3.1% · Sui +2.4%
Down: Render −1.8% · Quant −1.7% · OKB −0.9% · Internet Computer −0.9% · Algorand −0.8%
Beyond the top 50 (assets above $50 million in market value, rolling 24 hours): Convex Finance (CVX) led gains at +7.6%; Alaya Governance Token (AGT) fell the most, −19.2%.
Sentiment
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index read 59 (Greed), up from 53 a day earlier. Basis Desk's own news-flow gauge counted 2 bullish, 5 bearish and 16 neutral items among 23 published during the day.
Stablecoins
Stablecoin supply totaled $306.1B, up $655.2M over 24 hours. Largest: USDT $183.4B, USDC $72.6B, USDS $7.0B.
Whale flows
Basis Desk's on-chain scanner logged 499 transfers of $5 million or more on Ethereum (ETH and major tokens) and 24 Bitcoin transfers of 100 BTC or more, excluding change outputs and wallet consolidations. Deposits to labeled exchange wallets totaled $535.3M, against $462.0M withdrawn.
- $26.8M in USDC (26,820,302 USDC) from an unlabeled wallet to Coinbase
- $24.1M in ETH (10,000 ETH) from an unlabeled wallet to Bybit 21
- $20.0M in USDT (20,000,000 USDT) from an unlabeled wallet to Binance
Live feed: whale transfers.
Network fees
Ethereum gas was 0.06 gwei (standard); Bitcoin fees for next-half-hour confirmation were 1 sat/vB at the close.
The day's top stories
- Crypto Traders Lose $52M in 10 Minutes on Weekend Chip Stock Perpetuals
- Stablecoin Payments Jump 45% to $482B Through September Despite Flat Supply
- Missouri Attorney General Orders Six Prediction Market Platforms to Cease Sports Wagering
- Broadcom, Verizon and Seven Other Issuers Object to OKXICE Tokenized Stock Venue
- Tether Capital Backs AIsa to Expand Agentic AI Payments Infrastructure
How this report is made
This report is generated automatically from Basis Desk's market snapshots, with no AI-written text. Closing prices and day ranges come from our own 5-minute price history between 00:00 and 24:00 UTC (prices via Coinbase, Kraken and DefiLlama); 7-day changes, market values and the wider market from Coinlore; Fear & Greed from alternative.me; stablecoin supply from DefiLlama; fees from Ethereum mainnet and Blockstream; whale transfers from Basis Desk's own on-chain scanner. Previous close: Oct. 17. Not financial advice.
Data sources
- [1] Coinbase Exchange market data — Coinbase
- [2] Kraken public market data — Kraken
- [3] DefiLlama prices and stablecoins — DefiLlama
- [4] Coinlore crypto market API — Coinlore
- [5] Crypto Fear & Greed Index — alternative.me
- [6] Basis Desk whale transfer tracker — Basis Desk
Automated data report generated from Basis Desk's own market snapshots and on-chain scanner — no AI-written text. Figures are as of the 00:00 UTC close; providers are listed above. Market figures marked "at the time of writing" come from live exchange data. Report an error: corrections@basisdesk.news · corrections policy.
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