Bitcoin Drops Below $80,000 as Strategy Pauses Purchases Ahead of Fed Meeting

Bitcoin traded near $79,700 on Tuesday, breaking below its monthly trading range of $80,000 to $87,000. The decline followed news that Strategy Inc paused its weekly acquisitions during October 19 to 25, 2026, keeping its total holdings at 848,517 BTC. Broader cryptocurrency markets traded lower amid investor caution ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision, where markets broadly expect rates to remain unchanged at 4.0%. Downside pressure continued despite baseline institutional support from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, which posted $110 million in net inflows on Monday.