Bitcoin (BTC) rebounded above $81,000 after Wall Street opened on Thursday, as stronger-than-expected US economic growth offset a September inflation reading that matched estimates. Macro releases of this kind are closely watched by digital-asset traders for their bearing on the Federal Reserve's policy path.

BTC/USD rose to $81,547 on Bitstamp after falling as low as $79,607 following Wednesday's daily close, according to TradingView data. The move came despite a 12% decline in Alphabet shares after the technology company missed earnings and third-quarter revenue expectations.

The September Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, widely followed by Federal Reserve policymakers, increased 0.5% from August and rose 3.6% year-on-year. “Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 3.1 percent from one year ago,” the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said in its official release. The Fed's stated longer-run goal is 2% inflation, leaving both the headline and core readings above target.

The final estimate for third-quarter US GDP showed annualized growth of 3.4%, above the 3.2% expected. Speaking to CNBC, Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, said economic growth was “powering ahead despite the uncertainty of geopolitical risks and the damage posed to many sectors of the economy by higher energy costs.”

“The economy was thought to have been a lost cause during much of the current Administration's time in office, but real GDP has bounced back above a 3% run rate in Q3 2026 for the first time in a year,” Rupkey added.

US stock markets nevertheless opened lower, led by Alphabet, whose shares fell 12% following the earnings and revenue misses.

At its latest meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee left interest rates unchanged at 3.75%-4%, in line with market expectations. In a subsequent statement, Chair Kevin Warsh said economic activity was “expanding at a strong pace” and described inflation as “elevated.”

“While uncertainty remains elevated owing, in part, to geopolitical developments, domestic spending has been resilient. Productivity growth is strong, and capital investment is robust. Job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little,” Warsh said.

Analyst identifies $81,400 as key weekly level

Bitcoin's price continued to face overhead resistance on lower time frames. Crypto trader and analyst Rekt Capital identified $81,400 as the nearest level buyers need to reclaim.

“Bitcoin is experiencing lots of zig-zagging relative to both the Weekly levels of ~$80400 and $81400 And this will probably continue going into the new Weekly Close,” Rekt Capital wrote on X.

The analyst said Bitcoin would need to regain $81,400 by the weekly candle close. BTC/USD was also on course to finish October down 3.3% at the monthly close — an outcome that would fall well short of the average 26% October returns Bitcoin has produced since 2010, as previously reported by Cointelegraph. With both the weekly and monthly candles drawing to a close, the ~$80,400 and $81,400 zones flagged by Rekt Capital remain the near-term reference points for traders.

The original Cointelegraph report is available here.