Bitcoin slips to $81,400 as Korea sell-off and $111 oil bite

Bitcoin gave back part of its Monday bounce on Tuesday, trading near $81,370 at 09:35 UTC, down about 1.9% over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. Ether fared slightly worse, falling about 2.4% to around $2,383. The pull-back came as a weak stock market debut in Seoul and a jump in oil prices put investors on the defensive, CoinDesk reported.

What moved markets

• A flop IPO in Seoul. Data-centre operator Elice closed its first day at 60,500 won, more than 30% below its 90,500-won offer price, even though the retail tranche was oversubscribed more than 400 times. The listing raised $151 million at a valuation of about $755 million, according to Bloomberg figures cited by CoinDesk.
• The KOSPI fell almost 4% to 5,552. Samsung Electronics lost around 3% and SK Hynix roughly 4%.
• AI jitters spread to the US. CoreWeave dropped another 3% in pre-market trading as investors questioned whether heavy borrowing for AI infrastructure will pay off.
• Oil spiked. Brent crude rose above $111 a barrel, its highest since May, while WTI traded around $100, reflecting worries about Middle East supply and shipping.

CoinDesk noted that tech shares, bitcoin and gold were all lower on Tuesday morning, a sign that the move was broad risk reduction rather than a crypto-specific story.

Where crypto stands

• Bitcoin: about $81,370 (−1.9% in 24 hours).
• Ether: about $2,383 (−2.4%).
• Solana: about $104 (−1.7%).
• XRP: about $1.29 (−1.7%).

All figures are CoinGecko readings at 09:35 UTC; the snapshot above shows prices at our last site build. Bitcoin had climbed back above $82,000 on Monday as chip stocks rebounded, and US spot bitcoin ETFs recorded their biggest inflow day in nearly a month.

What to watch

The link between crypto and AI-heavy tech stocks has been tight this month: on Saturday, leveraged bets on chip stocks saw $52 million liquidated in ten minutes on crypto exchanges. If oil keeps rising and the AI sell-off deepens in US trading, that pressure could carry over to digital assets; if ETF demand holds up, it may cushion the dip. Readers new to these instruments can start with our explainer on what perpetual futures are.