Bitcoin slips below $83,000 on US-Iran tensions, still up over 40% in Q3

The pullback is a reminder that bitcoin's macro-sensitive bid can cut both ways: geopolitical stress triggered the dip, yet the quarterly gain still stands as the strongest third quarter in nine years. The immediate question is whether upcoming US inflation and jobs data reassert the macro narrative that drove that rally, or whether risk-off flows from the conflict keep capping upside. Either way, the quarter's performance shows the asset is trading more on macro liquidity expectations than on its original non-correlated thesis.