Bitcoin Edges Up 0.86% on Nov 3, 2026 as US Votes in Midterms

Key takeaways

• Bitcoin rose $662.62 (+0.86%) to $77,336.75 on Coinbase at the end of the UTC day Nov 3, 2026 (00:00 UTC, Nov 4), after trading between $76,238.54 and $77,981.38.
• XRP led the large tokens with a 2.17% gain to $1.2752, while ether rose 0.98% to $2,271.64 and Solana rose 0.96% to $92.71 on Coinbase.
• US spot bitcoin ETFs had net outflows of $399 million on Monday, Nov 2, a second straight day of outflows, CoinDesk reported, citing Farside Investors; BlackRock's IBIT alone lost $405 million.
• Binance customers had withdrawn a net $4.72 billion since the exchange reopened withdrawals on Sunday, CoinDesk reported on Tuesday.
• US voters went to the polls in the midterm elections on Tuesday; results were expected to start arriving as Asian markets opened on Wednesday, according to CoinDesk.

Session recap

Bitcoin recovered part of Monday's loss on Tuesday, November 3, as US midterm voting got under way and technology stocks steadied. It opened the UTC day at $76,674.12 on Coinbase, dipped to $76,238.54 during the European morning, rose as high as $77,981.38 and closed at $77,336.75. For the wider picture, see Asian and global market closes, our November 2 crypto brief and our guide to when US midterm results arrive in Southeast Asia.

Changes are calculated from Coinbase's previous UTC daily closes on November 2: bitcoin $76,674.13, ether $2,249.66, solana $91.83 and XRP $1.2481. Bitcoin dominance is shown as n/a because the two market-wide data providers we checked disagreed: CoinGecko put dominance at 59.29% and total market value at $2.62 trillion at 00:11 UTC on November 4, while CoinPaprika showed 57.05% and $2.73 trillion at 00:12 UTC. The two providers also disagreed on direction over 24 hours, with CoinGecko showing a 1.73% fall in total market value and CoinPaprika a 1.05% rise.

Ether traded between $2,236.92 and $2,304.62, Solana between $91.11 and $93.84, and XRP between $1.2431 and $1.2894. Trading was quieter than on Monday. Coinbase recorded 6,274.72 BTC traded on its BTC-USD market on Tuesday, down from 7,782.91 BTC on Monday, and ether volume fell to 71,981.96 ETH from 101,217.34 ETH.

What drove it

A weak start, then a recovery with US stocks

The day began under pressure. CoinDesk reported early on Tuesday that a deepening selloff in US chipmakers had dragged Asian stocks lower, with South Korea's Kospi falling more than 3% and Japanese markets closed for a holiday. Bitcoin slipped to around $76,300 in the European morning before steadying, according to CoinDesk. Once US trading began, the Nasdaq rose 0.7% at around 15:08 UTC even as Apple fell 3% and Palantir 5% after earnings, CoinDesk's live coverage showed, and shares of bitcoin miners moving into AI computing posted double-digit gains. Cointelegraph reported that bitcoin rose about 0.7% at the Wall Street open. No single cause for bitcoin's gain was confirmed.

ETF outflows continued

US spot bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $399 million on Monday, their second straight day of withdrawals, CoinDesk reported, citing Farside Investors. BlackRock's IBIT lost $405 million, its largest daily outflow since June, according to CoinDesk. Bitcoin Magazine, citing SoSoValue data, also put Monday's outflow at $399 million and said Friday's outflow of $643.3 million was the largest single-day figure since June 25. Flow figures for Tuesday had not been verified by Bullquill at the time of writing; our explainer on bitcoin ETF flows covers how these numbers are compiled.

Binance withdrawals and new hacks

Customers withdrew a net $4.72 billion from Binance after it reopened withdrawals on Sunday, up from $3.64 billion on the first day, CoinDesk reported. CoinDesk also reported that Binance had spent about half of its SAFU emergency bitcoin fund, roughly $580 million, after the $6.3 billion hack. Separately, Brazil's Mercado Bitcoin lost an estimated $40 million from hot wallets, according to security firm Hypernative, cited by CoinDesk. Our report on the Binance recovery effort and the Thai response has more background.

Derivatives and leverage

In the 24 hours to Tuesday's European morning, crypto futures volume rose 51% to $168.1 billion while open interest fell 1.63% to $134.9 billion, CoinDesk reported. Liquidations jumped 171% to $382.6 million over the same period, and implied volatility on the nearest-dated bitcoin options rose to about 51% from about 43.5%, according to CoinDesk. Our guide to crypto liquidations explains how forced selling works.

Macro data and oil

US job openings rose to 7.523 million in September from 7.19 million in August, above the 7.13 million forecast, CoinDesk reported after the JOLTS release at 15:00 UTC. Oil prices swung during the day after reports of limited US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island and conflicting statements on peace talks, CoinDesk and Cointelegraph reported. Bitcoin was on pace for a fifth straight weekly decline, CoinDesk said late on Tuesday.

Political & policy watch

• US midterm elections. Voting took place on Tuesday, November 3. Bitcoin Magazine noted that the CLARITY Act, a crypto market-structure bill, failed a Senate cloture vote on September 15 and would have to be reintroduced if Congress does not act before the new session begins on January 3. BlackRock's Robert Mitchnick said the midterms would not change the firm's crypto strategy, CoinDesk reported.
• SEC on Canton Coin. SEC staff said Canton Coin is a digital commodity, CoinDesk reported at around 20:58 UTC.
• Legal challenge to the CFTC. The Capital Markets Alliance sued the CFTC over its approval of single-stock perpetual futures, CoinDesk reported.
• Iran. Iran denied progress on peace talks with the United States after reports that Washington had approved a draft memorandum, according to CoinDesk's live coverage; the situation remains a source of swings in oil and risk assets.
• Exchange security in Asia. South Korea's president said the country needs a "cybersecurity czar" after the Binance hack, CoinDesk reported. Traders in Thailand, Indonesia and other ASEAN markets who rely on Binance for transfers remain exposed to the pace of its phased restart.

What to watch next

• November 4 (Wednesday): US midterm results from the Asian morning, CoinDesk reported; US ISM services index at 15:00 UTC and Circle and Riot Platforms earnings, according to CoinDesk's week-ahead calendar; a Binance proof-of-reserves snapshot, Bitcoin Magazine reported.
• November 5 (Thursday): Bank of England rate decision at 12:00 UTC, according to CoinDesk.
• November 6 (Friday): US nonfarm payrolls for October at 13:30 UTC, with a forecast of 65,000 jobs, CoinDesk reported.
• November 10 (Tuesday): US consumer price index for October, according to Bitcoin Magazine.
• December 9: next Federal Reserve rate decision, Bitcoin Magazine reported.

Risk checklist for readers

• Election results can arrive overnight. Crypto trades around the clock, so prices can react to US vote counts while Asian and European markets are open.
• ETF flow figures differ by tracker. Farside and SoSoValue compile data separately and sometimes report flows under different dates; check which trading day a figure refers to.
• Market-wide totals vary by provider. CoinGecko and CoinPaprika disagreed on both the level and the direction of total crypto market value on November 3.
• Exchange outflows are not the same as selling. Withdrawals from one exchange can move to wallets or rival platforms rather than be sold.
• Leverage magnifies moves. Rising liquidations and option volatility show how quickly borrowed positions can be closed.
• Check official sources. Regulatory statements from the SEC or CFTC are best read in full on the agencies' own sites.

This article is for information only and is not investment advice.