Bitcoin Trades Below $80,000 as U.S. Advisories Flag Possible Staff Changes

Bitcoin (BTC) traded below $80,000 Saturday, bringing the level back into focus for crypto markets as U.S. advisories for Qatar and Lebanon flagged possible additional diplomatic staffing changes. At 11:11 a.m. ET (15:11 UTC), BTC was at $79,700, down 2.2% over 24 hours. Ether (ETH), XRP and Solana (SOL) were down 3% to 4%. State Department advisories dated Oct. 23 set Qatar at Level 3 and Lebanon at Level 4, and said additional staffing adjustments “may be imposed.” The advisories did not confirm specific staff departures. An unclassified memo dated Oct.