Bitcoin’s “Uptober” Streak Ends as Mid-Month Market Shock Turns October Red
November 1, 2025
Bitcoin’s six-year “Uptober” streak has officially ended. The world’s largest cryptocurrency closed October in the red after a mid-month sell-off erased early gains and rattled the broader market.
According to CoinDesk Data, this marks Bitcoin’s first negative October since 2018, ending a run that had become a fixture of crypto market lore.
The turning point came on October 10, when former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened steep new tariffs on China amid rising rare-earth trade tensions. The comments triggered a global risk-off reaction, spilling over into digital assets.
Bitcoin plunged from the low $120,000s to around $105,000 in fast, volatile trade. Thin liquidity and heavy leverage amplified the move, leading to tens of billions in forced liquidations across derivatives exchanges. Within two days, over $500 billion in crypto market value had evaporated before a fragile rebound steadied prices.
The decline was macro-driven rather than crypto-specific, showing how tightly correlated digital assets remain with global risk sentiment.
By month’s end, Bitcoin’s chart told the same story as most major tokens: an early rally, a sharp mid-month drop, and a modest recovery that failed to recapture initial highs. Ether, Solana, and XRP all followed similar trajectories.
One standout was BNB, which defied the broader downtrend to close October up 4.2%, building higher lows through the back half of the month. Smaller-cap assets like ZEC, XMR, and WBTC also managed modest gains, signaling that select strength persisted even as leaders faltered.
The “Uptober” nickname, a long-standing community term, emerged from Bitcoin’s history of posting October gains every year from 2019 to 2024, as tracked by CoinGlass’s Monthly Returns heat map. This year’s red print ends that run and serves as a reminder that seasonal trends are probabilities, not promises.
While differing data sources may show small variations in performance due to time windows, the conclusion is consistent: October 2025 marked the end of Bitcoin’s Uptober era — and the start of a Red October.
