Okay! What is this shutdown?
In the United States, the federal budget must be voted on and validated by Congress every year. If the elected officials cannot come to an agreement in time, the state finds itself... without a budget.
Result: hundreds of thousands of civil servants are put on forced leave, agencies partially shut down, and some activities in the country slow down. This phenomenon is called a shutdown. It is thus a typically American phenomenon. In Europe, public institutions fortunately have automatic mechanisms to continue functioning even if the budget is not voted on in time. Holding the record for the longest duration without a government, it is unimaginable in Belgium to stop working because a vote has not taken place: The continuity of public services is guaranteed, but not in the USA.
Why does it matter for crypto?
When Washington blocks, it has several effects on the markets:
- Economic data (employment, inflation, growth) is published late → traders move blindly.
- Regulators (SEC, CFTC) operate slowly → decisions (like Bitcoin ETFs) are delayed.
- Investors hate uncertainty → more volatility in risky assets.
Bitcoin, often seen as a "safe haven" outside the system, can actually react in two ways and may either gain interest when traditional markets doubt or, on the contrary, experience increased volatility if uncertainty pushes funds to reduce risk.
Everything will therefore depend on the market context and especially the duration of the blockage, but the American shutdown on October 1, 2025, indeed adds a dose of uncertainty.
We will potentially have less data to anticipate and more nervous investors.
The observation is made here then:
here: The Bitcoin price page
here: The price page for users who want to stay updated on market movements
