Bitcoin traded at $86,443, up 2.05% over 24 hours on reported volume of $17.2 billion, as US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $134.4 million of net inflows across the first two trading days of October following an outflow on 30 September. The reported catalyst was a softer US employment reading that cooled expectations of further Federal Reserve rate increases, although evidence of sustained post-payroll ETF demand remains pending.
The flow reversal supports the view that regulated fund channels continue to serve as a primary marginal driver of spot Bitcoin liquidity during macro-sensitive trading windows, particularly around the $85,000 resistance area. However, it does not confirm a durable structural trend: the reported inflows span only two sessions, and the interplay between interest rate expectations, ETF subscriptions and spot market depth remains vulnerable to broader shifts in macroeconomic sentiment.
El Salvador received a $138 million disbursement from the IMF following waivers related to its Bitcoin policies, while reporting that its $666 million Bitcoin reserve remained intact through the review. The IMF stated that the country will continue measures to reduce state involvement in Bitcoin-related operations and tighten crypto-asset governance and regulation. The agreement allows the sovereign to maintain its digital asset holdings alongside multilateral financing, though future fiscal latitude remains circumscribed by ongoing programme conditionality.
Japan designated crypto exchange Garantex under its sanctions framework related to the war in Ukraine, following previous enforcement actions by the United States, the European Union and other authorities for facilitating Russian sanctions evasion. The listing further tightens the international compliance perimeter for market intermediaries and cross-border settlement channels handling Russian flow, although the supplied material does not quantify Garantex's remaining liquidity or direct market turnover.