Bitcoin drops below $82,000 amid AI spending doubts; DeFi tokens lead declines

Bitcoin fell to around $81,800, down 2.7% since midnight UTC, extending its decline below $82,500 after a late-Wednesday surge to nearly $84,800 reversed. This decline was influenced by mixed results from Tesla and Meta, which revived doubts over AI spending, causing Nasdaq 100 futures to drop 1.32%. The CoinDesk DeFi index slumped 5.6%, and altcoins fell harder than Bitcoin, with ZEC, NEAR, and UNI showing open interest falling faster than price, suggesting positions are being closed.