Bitcoin price reports $85,662 a year after record high: What's worth watching now

Bitcoin price on October 5, 2026: US$85,662 and EUR 76,487

According to data from price provider CoinGecko, the price of Bitcoin on Sunday afternoon was US$85,662, equivalent to EUR 76,487. This is exactly a year before cryptocurrencies hit an all-time high: On the morning of October 6, 2025, the price of a Bitcoin was $126,080. The gap between this record and today's level is $40,418, or 32.1%. In euros, the gap is small, and it is this difference that determines what bitcoin prices mean to German investors, whether for tax purposes or practical considerations.

Bitcoin has risen 0.63% in U.S. dollar terms in the past 24 hours. The increase in euro-denominated terms was 1.19%, almost double the increase in the dollar. Intraday fluctuations range from $85,172 to $86,949, with a difference of $1,777 between high and low points, or about 2%. Bitcoin prices rose 3.4% in one week and 8.4% in one month.

has a market value of US$1.72 trillion, with transaction volume of US$30.3 billion in the past 24 hours. The number of bitcoins in circulation is 20,093,759. The ratio of trading volume to market value is about 1.8%, describing a calm trading day rather than panic in any direction.

Key Data List

One year later: Bitcoin is still US$40,418 short of record

The anniversary is not just a price story, but an honest yardstick. Anyone who bought at the peak of October 6, 2025, currently faces a book loss of 32.1% in US dollars. A 32.1% increase is not enough to recoup costs and a 47.2% increase is needed because losses must be covered from a smaller base. This asymmetry makes the moment of entry critical for volatile assets.

At the same time, the past year has shown that the market has not collapsed, but has moved sideways. Bitcoin prices rose 8.4% in 30 days and 3.4% in 7 days. Prices are gradually recovering from below to the range they occupy during the summer. For investors, the question is not whether the market has broken, but whether their positions are still in line with the plan they made when buying.

"Book loss" is an often misunderstood term. It describes the difference between the purchase price and the current price if it had not been sold since purchase. In terms of taxation, it does not exist. Only sales will convert book losses into realized losses, and at this time, the issue of whether the tax authorities will recognize them is involved. Transactions are conducted 24/7, but the reference exchange rate used for tax filing is only set once a day.

Why Bitcoin's historical high gap against the euro is smaller than the gap against the US dollar

以欧元计，比特币在2025年10月6日报价为107,662欧元。今日为76,487欧元。差距为31,175欧元，即29.0%，比美元差距少约三个百分点。原因不在比特币本身，而在汇率。在创纪录时，价格比率对应约1.17的欧元兑美元汇率。今日隐含汇率约为1.12。因此，欧元相对于美元贬值，缓冲了以欧元计价的投资者资产负债表。

同一机制解释了每日图景。比特币以欧元计价上涨1.19%，而以美元计价仅上涨0.63%，这是由于欧元当日走弱所致。这一楔形差距的宽度在10月3日得以展现，当时价格以美元下跌4.4%，而以欧元仅下跌0.5%。

在实践中这意味着两点：任何使用默认显示美元的APP追踪持仓的人看到的数字并非其最终归属；任何向税务机关申报盈亏的人必须以欧元计数。美元显示是市场信息；欧元金额才是税务计数的依据。

《德国所得税法》第23条的一年持有期：2026年10月6日是去年买家的截止日

在德国，比特币属于《德国所得税法》第23(1)条第1款第2项规定的私人处置交易。仅在收购与处置之间少于一年的情况下，出售才需纳税。一旦超过一年期限，该交易不再纳税。

There are two sides to this rule, and the second is easily ignored. Earnings generated after one year are exempt from tax, which is a familiar aspect. However, losses incurred after one year are also not subject to the tax network, so they are tax worthless and undeductible.

For people buying around October 6, 2025, this becomes specific now. The one-year period is calculated in accordance with Article 108 of the German General Taxation Code and the limitation provisions of the Civil Code. Purchases on October 6, 2025 will close on October 6, 2026; from October 7, transactions will be separated from the deadline. The exact date that applies depends on the exact moment of acquisition and a tax adviser should be consulted before making any decision.

Crypto loss offset: What is no longer valid after the expiration of the one-year period

Under Section 23(3) of the German Income Tax Act, losses on private disposal transactions can only be offset against gains on similar income. Such losses do not reduce labor income or investment income from stocks/interest. Within this limit, they can be carried forward one year and forward indefinitely, thereby neutralizing the benefits of future private disposal transactions.

This is not formalism for people who have achieved short-term crypto sales gains this year. A loss realized within one year reduces these gains; the same loss realized a day later cannot. This is not a reason to fix investment decisions to a certain date, but a reason to know the date.

The third point is the tax exemption threshold. Since the 2024 evaluation period, gains from private disposal transactions have been tax-free of taxes of up to € 1,000 per year. Allowances are not deductions. Once exceeded, all proceeds are taxable, not just the excess.

Order after multiple purchases applies

Anyone who buys more over a period of several months does not have a single Bitcoin position, but many batches with respective acquisition dates. In its May 10, 2022 ruling on virtual currencies, the Federal Ministry of Finance stipulated a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method that applies to every wallet or exchange account.

First-in, first-out means that the earliest purchased unit is regarded as the first unit to be sold. This cannot be proved without a clear record of individual purchases, which is where many encrypted tax returns go wrong. A cryptographic tax tool or portfolio tracker automatically processes the allocation and provides supporting documentation.

Reference exchange rates and conversions: The German Tax Office calculates the amount in euros

Even if the transaction is settled in U.S. dollars or stablecoins, profits and losses are determined in euros. Conversion requires the use of retrospective exchange rates at the time of acquisition and disposal. The European Central Bank's euro reference exchange rate is set every bank working day and is a common source, and the exchange rate used by trading platforms can also be used as a basis. The key is to stick to one approach and provide documentation.

There are no new reference rates available over the weekend. Sunday sellers like today use the exchange rate from the last bank working day or exchange rate. Both are defensible; but switching between the two based on the results is not feasible. For tax filing purposes, the amount is counted in euros rather than the dollar figure in the app.

Upper and lower positions: US$86,949 and US$90,000 from intraday range as integer barriers

Location is not a prophecy, but a place where a lot of transactions have occurred in the past. Looking upwards, the intraday high of $86,949 is the first marker, followed by the integer digit of $90,000 where sell orders tend to cluster. Looking downwards, the intraday low of $85,172 marks the edge of today's trade, with $80,000 below it being the next integer digit.

Convert to euros, with intraday highs corresponding to approximately 77,600 euros and intraday lows corresponding to approximately 76,000 euros. As the exchange rate changes accordingly, the position of these euros will move even if the price of the dollar does not move. People setting up buy or sell orders in euros should consider this.

Buying Bitcoin under MiCA: Licences required for German providers

The European Regulation on the Regulation of Cryptographic Asset Markets (MiCA for short) has become fully effective on December 30, 2024. It requires providers that hold, exchange or broker crypto assets in any EU country to obtain authorization from a crypto asset service provider. In Germany, this comes with the Crypto Market Supervision Act, with BaFin (the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) as the regulatory authority. The effectiveness of the bill in practice is reflected in the fact that it forms the basis of recent BaFin warnings about unauthorized providers.

For buyers, this boils down to a question that can be determined in just a few minutes: Does the provider have authorization in the registry of BaFin or other European regulators? Providers without this license are not allowed to contact you in Germany, and no regulatory authority is on your side in a dispute.

Fees for purchasing Bitcoin: price difference, order fee and bank card payment surcharge

At a price of $85,662, a percentage weight of expenses is heavier than most daily fluctuations. Three factors determine the real price. Order fee is a clear charge per purchase. Spread is the difference between bid and ask prices; it does not appear in the expense table, but consumes real money. There are also surcharges for specific payment methods.

We analyzed the size of the third item on October 4: When purchasing Bitcoin via credit card, the surcharge depends on the provider, and the value of every 100 euros purchase can reach 9.94 euros. Transfers via SEPA are usually completely waived. Anyone using a fixed investment plan should also confirm whether they are receiving real coins or just certificates, as this determines whether the one-year period of Article 23 applies.

Custody after a year of sideways trading: Exchange, Hardware Wallet and Counterparty Risk

A year below historical highs means that many investors have positions on exchanges longer than originally planned. What follows is a risk that has nothing to do with price. On an exchange, you own claims on the company, not the coin itself. MiCA does require that customer funds be separated from own funds, but provider failure remains a scenario that can only be prevented by self-custody.

Hardware Wallet Eliminate your counterparty risk and give you another responsibility, the responsibility of managing the recovery of mnemons. If you lose them, your positions disappear forever. Self-custody remains the norm for amounts that exceed entertainment funds, and the one-year period continues: transferring between your own wallets is not a disposal and does not reset the clock.

Bitcoin after historical highs: The key points for your decision-making

• Find out your acquisition date. Check the transaction history to see which batches came from October 2025 and when the one-year period ended. Cryptographic tax tools or portfolio trackers can read data from exchanges and wallets and allocate it on a first-in, first-out basis.
• The price includes the cost of the route purchased. Compare the provider's order fees, price differences, and payment methods before buying more. The comparison of crypto exchanges displays the conditions of authorized venues in parallel.
• Match the custody method to the position period. If a position stays longer than planned, it should not be permanently held in an exchange account. Which devices are suitable for which amounts are included in the hardware wallet comparison.

(As of October 5, 2026. This document does not constitute investment advice or tax advice. Price and fee structures are subject to change; check terms with your provider before purchasing and consult your tax consultant for tax issues.)