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Bitcoin, ether fall as shutdown clock hits and markets brace for a messy Monday
Bitcoin fell toward $83,000 as the U.S. entered a partial shutdown, with traders leaning defensive ahead of a House vote expected Monday.
Updated Jan 31, 2026, 4:48 p.m. Published Jan 31, 2026, 7:29 a.m.
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What to know:
- Crypto prices remained under pressure Friday as a partial U.S. government shutdown added to the already fragile market's uncertainty.
- Bitcoin hovered around $83,559, up about 1 percent on the day but down nearly 7 percent for the week, while ether and XRP also logged sharp weekly declines.
- The brief shutdown, coinciding with thin weekend liquidity, is acting more as a sentiment stress test than an economic shock, prompting smaller positions and warier dip-buying across crypto markets.
Crypto prices remained under pressure on Friday as the U.S. government entered a partial shutdown after lawmakers missed a midnight funding deadline, adding another layer of uncertainty to a market already struggling to find buyers.
Bitcoin traded around $83,559, up about 1% on the day but down roughly 6.8% over the past week, according to the price screen.
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Ether sat near $2,686, down about 1.9% in the past 24 hours and 9% on the week. XRP changed hands near $1.72, down about 1.6% on the day and close to 10% lower over seven days.
The shutdown itself looks short. The Senate passed a funding package, but the House is out until Monday, so the government will still hit a technical lapse over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Saturday that it would operate with "very limited staff" from Jan. 31 onward due to the shutdown.
That timing matters for risk assets because it lands right into thin weekend liquidity and a heavy headline cycle, which may pressure bitcoin and the broader crypto market over the weekend.
There is also a clean crypto angle here that is not just “risk off.” Prediction markets have spent the past 24 hours showing how messy the definition of “shutdown” can get.
Traders on Polymarket and Kalshi were forced to think like lawyers. The government can be “shut” on paper at 12:01 a.m. and still look normal to most people for two days. That gap between legal status and real-world impact is exactly where contract wording and settlement rules start to bite.
For crypto, the shutdown headline is more of a sentiment stress test than a direct economic shock. It keeps traders cautious, pushes people toward smaller position sizes, and makes dips feel heavier because buyers do not want to step in front of a weekend news tape.
