Asia Morning Briefing: BTC Holds Steady as Market Resets After Leverage Flush
October 20, 2025
Glassnode says last week’s selloff “cleared out excess without breaking structure,” while Enflux points to renewed institutional layering from Blockchain.com’s SPAC and Bitmine’s $800 million ETH buildout as signs of deeper market resilience.
By Sam Reynolds
Oct 21, 2025, 1:16 a.m.
- Bitcoin stabilizes around $110,300 in Asia after a recent correction, with market analysts describing the move as a necessary reset.
- Institutional investments continue as Tom Lee’s Bitmine allocates $800 million to Ethereum, indicating ongoing interest despite retail speculation cooling.
- Gold hits a record high amid U.S.-China trade tensions, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rises on Wall Street gains and political optimism.
Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk’s Crypto Daybook Americas.
Bitcoin is trading around $110,300 Tuesday morning Hong Kong time as Asia starts its business day, with ETH changing hands at $3,970. CoinDesk data shows that the market is relatively flat as the week continues.
The stabilization comes after a sharp correction that pushed BTC as low as $104,000 last week. In a recent market note, Glassnode described the move as a “flush, not a failure,” arguing that leverage has been unwound, protection bought, and positions cleaned up.
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The firm said futures open interest and funding rates have fallen sharply, ETF flows have turned neutral, and on-chain profit metrics show traders realizing losses rather than capitulating entirely, a sign of defensive normalization rather than structural breakdown.
Market maker Enflux sees a similar dynamic playing out in capital formation. In a note to CoinDesk, it highlighted Blockchain.com’s planned U.S. SPAC listing with Cohen & Co. as a “full-circle moment” for crypto exchanges re-entering public markets.
Meanwhile, Tom Lee’s Bitmine allocating $800 million toward buying more ETH was read as an “infrastructure-scale commitment” showing that institutional money continues to accumulate under the surface, even as retail speculation fades.
Both Glassnode and Enflux agree the market has entered a reset phase defined by caution but underpinned by real capital engagement. Glassnode’s data implies that the speculative layer has been flushed; Enflux’s view is that long-term capital is quietly rebuilding the foundation.
Gold’s continued strength above $4,000 an ounce, Enflux added, shows that digital assets now coexist with traditional hedges rather than compete against them, reflecting a portfolio shift toward diversification, not abandonment.
BTC: Despite deep fear readings in the crypto market, Arca said Bitcoin’s recent selloff was a healthy reset rather than a breakdown, pointing to rising exchange volumes, improving liquidity, and easing macro pressures as signs of structural recovery.
ETH: ETH continues to rally after more buys from Tom Lee, but analysts are concerned about its dropping chain fees. DeFiLlama data shows that in the last 24 hours, Ethereum generated less chain fees than Solana and BNB.
Gold: Gold surged 2.9% to a record $4,380.89 an ounce as investors bought the dip amid renewed U.S.-China trade uncertainty, expectations of a Fed rate cut, and market tension over whether Beijing and Washington might reach a trade deal.
Nikkei 225: Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose over 1% to a record high of 49,739.76, lifted by Wall Street gains and optimism ahead of a parliamentary vote expected to confirm Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s next prime minister.
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By Krisztian Sandor|Edited by Stephen Alpher
4 hours ago
The rebound in crypto prices won’t be short-lived as key market metrics show signs of recovery, Arca analysts said in a Monday note.
What to know:
- Bitcoin traded around $111,000 after weekend strength faded during Monday U.S. hours; ETH dipped back below $4,000.
- XRP and LINK led large-cap gains; Zcash jumped 17% as privacy tokens showed relative strength
- Recent rebound signals a structural reset, not a collapse, as macro risks begin to ease, Arca analysts said.
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