Bitcoin tests $87,000 as Middle East tensions rise
Bitcoin (BTC)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
Lookonchain.com reports that Bitcoin is retesting the $87,000 level amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi militants. Fears of a wider Middle East conflict have grown as Trump hints at further actions against Iran. Despite these geopolitical risks, U.S. stock index futures edged higher early Monday, with Nasdaq 100 futures rising 0.3%.
This boost came from cooling expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Bitcoin accelerated its rebound after U.S. futures opened, potentially retesting the $87,000 mark. Per HTX market data, Bitcoin was trading at $86,371 with a 24-hour gain of 1.35%.
In U.S. pre-market trading, semiconductor, storage, and optical communication sectors saw broad gains, with ALAB rising nearly 2%. Saudi Aramco's CEO stated that current commercial crude oil inventories have dropped to less than 6 billion barrels. Hon Hai's revenue surged 47%, showing no signs of abating in AI infrastructure spending. Bitcoin short-term holders continue to add to their positions, with their average cost rising to $74,100.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for BTC, measured when this story was written up on 5 October 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Bitcoin is trading at $86,530.00 with a 1-hour buy ratio of 49.1% and a 4-hour buy ratio of 48.4%, compared to a 24-hour buy ratio of 49.7%. The 1-hour volume delta is -$1,047,596 and the 4-hour volume delta is -$7,788,030, indicating net selling pressure in the short term. Over the last 24 hours, the volume delta is -$3,716,802, with a CVD of -$46,735,094. This means sellers have dominated the flow, pushing the price down despite the buy ratio hovering near parity. Buying pressure is fading in the immediate term as volume deltas turn negative across all timeframes. Spot volume for the period is $683,674,415 across 1,340,109 trades.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.7% sits at the 18th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 49.2% - weaker buying than most days.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for BTC, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
The 7-day average buy ratio is 48.2%, while the latest day shows a buy ratio of 49.8%, which is +1.6 points higher than the average. Volume is 0.50x the average, indicating significantly lower trading activity compared to the weekly norm. This is an unusual day for the coin, as volume is half the usual level despite a slight increase in buying ratio. The 8-day price change is +2.4%, with a total volume delta of -$490,444,535. Net buying occurred on only 2 of the last 7 days, suggesting a generally bearish trend over the week.