Bitcoin Stalls Near $86,500 Despite Its Best Week Since January

Bitcoin just had its best week in eight months — but it still can't break through to new highs.

After closing a week at its strongest level since late January, Bitcoin (BTC/USD) got stuck near $86,500, unable to climb past that point. A bigger barrier sits just above at $87,570, which is where Bitcoin's price started the year 2026. Traders call this a 'resistance' level — a price point where selling tends to stop the price from rising further.

Why isn't Bitcoin going higher? The main culprit is the bond market. A *bond yield* is the return investors earn for lending money to the government. When yields rise, safer investments like bonds become more attractive, pulling money away from riskier assets like Bitcoin and stocks.

Here are the key numbers:

• 30-year US bond yield: passed 5.67%, near 24-year highs
• 10-year US bond yield: returned to 5.31%
• S&P 500 (index of 500 big US companies): up 0.5%
• Nasdaq (tech-heavy stock index): up 0.7%

Trading firm QCP Capital explained that even recent weaker US job data — which usually helps risky assets — wasn't enough to calm nervous markets. High oil prices and high bond yields are keeping a lid on Bitcoin and stocks.

All eyes are now on the Federal Reserve (the US central bank that sets interest rates). Traders expect the Fed to *pause* raising rates at its October 28 meeting. On Wednesday, the Fed will release the minutes (detailed notes) from its September meeting, which analysts say will be especially important given the jittery bond market.

Meanwhile, analytics firm Glassnode noted that buyers have become less aggressive compared to mid-September. This doesn't signal a crash — it just means the strong upward push has cooled off for now, even as some investors cash in their profits.

Bottom line: Bitcoin is holding its recent gains, but rising bond yields and economic uncertainty are stopping it from breaking into new territory.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://cointelegraph.com/markets/bitcoin-price-fails-to-break-higher-after-best-weekly-close-in-eight-months?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound