Bitcoin Trades Near $81,400 as South Korea’s KOSPI Sheds 3.73%

Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $81,400 early Tuesday while South Korean and Japanese stock benchmarks closed lower, a cross-market downturn following gains in U.S. equities the previous day.

Bitcoin was down 0.5% from 8 p.m. ET Monday (00:00 UTC Tuesday). Ether (ETH) was near $2,385 early Tuesday. Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.31% in an early U.S. morning reading.

South Korea’s KOSPI finished Tuesday at 5,552.74, down 215.27 points, or 3.73%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed at 64,075.42, a loss of 841.28 points, or 1.30%.

The Asian declines followed a positive Monday session for U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, while the Nasdaq 100 gained 1.2%. The Tuesday decline in Nasdaq 100 futures contrasted with that gain.

The KOSPI had fallen 7% intraday on Oct. 15, another sharp move in the South Korean stock market during the preceding week.