Bitcoin Slides Below $65,000; Ether Drops Under $1,700

Bitcoin fell below $65,000 this week, leaving the token roughly 28% lower year-to-date and about 50% below its October 2025 record high. Ether declined nearly 7% to under $1,700, putting it about 44% lower year-to-date and roughly 66% below its August 2025 record close.

The sell-off affected the largest cryptocurrencies by market share. Bitcoin returned to levels below $65,000 after a brief rebound. Ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, saw a sharp weekly drop that pushed its price under $1,700. XRP, launched by Ripple in 2012, is still tracked but has not regained the market positions of Bitcoin and Ether.

An index that charts Bitcoin, Ether and XRP on a common logarithmic scale compares percentage changes rather than absolute price differences. That index, measuring performance since Nov. 9, 2017, shows Bitcoin leading the three in cumulative price performance.

Regulatory and product developments have created new institutional access to the market. On Jan. 10, 2024, regulators approved a group of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds from issuers including Grayscale, iShares, Fidelity, ARK 21Shares, Bitwise and Coinshares Valkyrie. Spot Ether ETFs launched on July 23, 2024, from issuers such as Grayscale, Franklin, Bitwise, iShares and Fidelity.

Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that use cryptography to secure transactions, control issuance and verify transfers. Market participants continue to treat major tokens as high-risk assets because prices can move sharply over short periods.

No announcements from major issuers or regulators were directly tied to this week’s price declines.