Bitcoin rose above $80,000 on August 25, 2026, reaching intraday highs around $81,200 — its highest level since mid-May and a roughly 35% rebound from the late-June low near $58,000.
ETF money is back
- Spot bitcoin ETF inflows for August topped $3 billion, the strongest month of 2026 and roughly double April's total.
- On August 20, bitcoin ETFs drew $517 million and ether ETFs $189 million — the biggest daily inflows in months.
- U.S. digital-asset ETFs took in $2.36 billion in a single week, their best week since early October 2025.
The Treasury factor
The U.S. Treasury expanded buybacks of longer-dated bonds, doubling the typical maximum from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation to ease thin liquidity as 10- to 30-year yields climbed. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said buybacks "could be more than the $4 billion per issue." Nearly $4 billion of crypto ETF inflows landed after that announcement.
A broad rally
This rebound was wider than earlier ones: about 83% of tracked top-100 non-stablecoin assets finished August higher. Ether rallied toward $2,500 and XRP recovered above $1.30, putting bitcoin on course for its first positive August since 2021.
