Altcoins Fall Faster Than Bitcoin as Nasdaq’s 2.6% Drop Drags Crypto Lower on October 22

Crypto sold off on Thursday, October 22, as the AI-driven slide in U.S. stocks spilled into digital assets. The Nasdaq closed 2.6% lower and the S&P 500 fell 1.2%, with Lam Research dropping about 10% after warning that supply constraints could limit next-quarter sales. Bitcoin fell 3.3% to about $81,260 and briefly traded below $81,000 after nearly reaching $85,000 on Wednesday.

Altcoins took the larger share of losses. Ether fell 3.6% to about $2,381 and Solana 3.3% to about $103, even though Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade went live that day. XRP lost 6.4% and Zcash 10.1% over 24 hours. CoinDesk reported HYPE down about 4.5% to roughly $78 and DOGE down nearly 4%, while Monero bucked the trend with a gain of about 11%.

Leverage amplified the move. CoinGlass counted about $431 million in liquidations over 24 hours, and CoinDesk noted that long positions made up $210 million of the $222 million liquidated in the last 12 hours. Crypto-linked stocks fell as well, led by Strategy at -5.6%, with Circle, MARA and Coinbase down between 4% and 5%.

Bitcoin’s dominance, already at its highest since May, could rise further if altcoins keep falling. Traders are watching $2,300 for Ether and $100 for Solana as the next key levels.

Track the market yourself with AiTraderView’s free tools: Crypto Cockpit for charts and 75+ indicators, Crypto Screener to find setups, and Crypto Portfolio to follow your holdings.

Sources:

• The Motley Fool: Crypto Market Today, Oct. 22
• CoinDesk: Live updates, Bitcoin falls back to $81,000