Bitcoin fell below $76,000 during the November 5, 2026 U.S. stock-market selloff, erasing its post-election recovery, according to Decrypt. Approximately $428 million in leveraged crypto long positions were liquidated within an hour as losses spread across equities and cryptocurrencies.
The S&P 500 fell as much as 3.8% during Thursday’s session, bringing market-wide circuit breakers into focus. It had not reached the first halt threshold at the time of the report; from that decline, another 3.2 percentage points would have been needed.
The stock-market reversal
The selloff followed Wednesday’s rally after the Democratic Party’s sweeping midterm election victories. The S&P 500 had gained 1.6%, its strongest daily performance in three months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 1,500 points. Thursday’s losses erased the S&P 500’s previous-session gain.
Less than 24 hours before the selloff, President Donald Trump had celebrated market records on Truth Social, writing that Americans’ retirement accounts were going “through the roof.” He described the market as having reached record highs on 91 days in less than two years.
Technology stocks led Thursday’s decline. At around 11 a.m. ET, the Nasdaq Composite was down nearly 5% and the S&P 500 was down 3.2%. Nvidia lost more than 6%, while the broader semiconductor index fell nearly 11%.
Circuit-breaker levels for November 5, 2026
U.S. market-wide circuit breakers are based on the S&P 500’s percentage decline from its previous close. Decrypt reported the following thresholds for the November 5, 2026 session—not as current market levels:
| Decline from previous close | S&P 500 threshold | Trading interruption |
|---|---|---|
| 7% | 7,150.41 points | A 15-minute halt if reached before 3:25 p.m. ET |
| 13% | 6,689.09 points | Another 15-minute halt if reached before 3:25 p.m. ET |
| 20% | 6,150.89 points | Trading ends for the remainder of the session |
Under the New York Stock Exchange rules described in the report, the first two thresholds stop applying at 3:25 p.m. ET. The 20% threshold remains active throughout the session. These halts cover the entire U.S. equity market, including companies listed on Nasdaq and other U.S. exchanges—not only S&P 500 constituents.
Bitcoin’s decline amid policy uncertainty
Decrypt reported that investors were concerned Democratic election victories could bring stricter oversight of data-center construction, putting companies involved in AI infrastructure under pressure.
“We suspect there is going to be some scrutiny on this aggressive AI buildout,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, told Reuters.
Stocks also faced persistent inflation concerns and uncertainty about the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate decision. At the time of reporting, investors were awaiting Friday’s October employment report for further clues about monetary policy.
Bitcoin’s drop and the reported crypto liquidations occurred alongside this broader selloff. The report did not establish a single cause for Bitcoin’s decline or provide a Bitcoin price forecast.
Original source: Decrypt. Published November 6, 2026, at 02:05:21 UTC+08:00, covering the November 5 U.S. trading session.