Bitcoin News Today: Institutional Bitcoin Buys Defy Market Panic as Stocks, Crypto Tumble

U.S. Stocks Close Lower on Thursday, Nasdaq Drops Over 2%, Bitcoin Slides to Touch $86,100 at One Point

U.S. equities ended Thursday's session in negative territory, with the Nasdaq Composite falling more than 2% as broader market anxieties over macroeconomic conditions and Federal Reserve policy weighed on investor sentiment. The S&P 500 Index declined 0.92% to 6,672.41, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1.18% to 46,590.24 according to market data. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) and CME Group Inc. Cl A (CME) both underperformed relative to peers, with ICE shedding 1.14% and CME dropping 2.07% according to market reports. The declines marked a challenging week for ICE, which closed 20.61% below its 52-week high, and for CME, which ended a nine-day winning streak according to market analysis.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, reached a low of $86,100 on Thursday, extending its pullback from an October all-time high of $126,000. The cryptocurrency's decline mirrored a broader selloff in crypto assets, with U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs experiencing mixed flows. While BlackRock's IBIT recorded a record $523 million outflow on Nov. 18, inflows returned on Nov. 19 as the price rebounded above $90,000.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) notably increased its stake in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF during the third quarter, nearly tripling its holdings to 8 million shares, valued at $520 million, signaling institutional confidence despite the recent volatility.

The market's unease was amplified by shifting expectations around the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. The CME FedWatch tool now assigns a 43.8% probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in December, down from earlier optimism. Analysts attributed the correction in Bitcoin and equities to a combination of tightening liquidity, macroeconomic uncertainty, and the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, which disrupted market dynamics. The Nasdaq Fear and Greed Index fell to 11, indicating extreme fear among traders.

Bitcoin ETFs saw renewed inflows on Nov. 19, with $75.47 million in net inflows. However, the recovery was uneven, as Ethereum and altcoin ETFs continued to hemorrhage assets. Solana ETFs, however, bucked the trend with $55.6 million in inflows following the launch of two new funds.

Institutional investors remain cautious. Pepperstone's Dilin Wu noted that ETF outflows and whale selling have tightened liquidity, exacerbating short-term price declines. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's ADIC reinforced its belief in Bitcoin as a "digital equivalent of gold," a sentiment echoed by crypto commentators who view the move as a strategic bet on Bitcoin's long-term value retention.

The market now turns to the Fed's December meeting and broader macroeconomic signals to gauge the sustainability of the recent stabilization. For now, the interplay between institutional positioning, macroeconomic data, and regulatory developments will likely dictate the trajectory of both equities and crypto assets.