Bitcoin Retreats to $80,600 in Sharp Sell-Off After $96,800 Summit Peak

Bitcoin slid to $80,600 on May 15 after a sharp sell-off amid risk-off sentiment from rising bond yields and geopolitical tensions, erasing much of its prior rally. The surge started May 13 from dips below $78,800, rebounding to $81,000 on AI rivalry money-printing bets and 77% historical odds of a new ATH from 35% drawdown. Senate's 15-9 Clarity Act approval on May 14 drove BTC past $82,000 despite CPI (3.8% YoY), PPI (6% YoY), $635M ETF outflows, and $370M liquidations, peaking at $96,800 (+2.3%) during Trump-Xi summit talks, bolstered by $2.8B on-chain inflows and STRC/SATA Bitcoin buys.