Bitcoin, Ethereum Crash Liquidates $1.1 Billion Leveraged Traders

The price of Bitcoin plummeted 20% in what experts are calling a bullish correction after topping out at all-time highs. 

Bitcoin, Ethereum Crash Liquidates $1.1 Billion Leveraged Traders

Key Takeaways

  • Bitcoin plunged $7,000 from the top at $34,800 liquidating future longs worth over $1 billion.
  • Ethereum also dropped 23% as over-leveraged long positions in the crypto market favored the bears.
  • Despite negative prices, market sentiments continue to be positive.

Share this article

Bitcoin and Ethereum prices dropped all the weekend gains before the traditional markets opened for trading Monday, liquidating $1.1 billion leveraged orders. 

Nevertheless, market sentiments continue to wax bullish despite the carnage.

Bullish Bitcoin, Ethereum Selling 

On Sunday at 5 PM CST, the CME futures market opened with a gap of $4,000 since closing at $29,385 before the holidays on Dec. 31. 

Bitcoin crossed $30,000 for the first time over the weekend, topping at $34,800 this morning. However, the correction came just as quickly, as BTC prices dropped 20% around 1 AM CST. 

Bitcoin futures on CME prices traced back to $28,440, filling the positive gap. 

Bitcoin futures prices on CME. Source: Trading View 
Bitcoin futures prices on CME. Source: Trading View 

The volatility in Ethereum was even stronger as the second-largest cryptocurrency topped $1,150 for the first time in three years. The price of ETH, however, corrected 23% to $900 after peaking at $1,170. 

Across exchanges like Binance and Huobi, over $1.1 billion were liquidated in the last four hours, with Bitcoin longs accounting for nearly 93.6% of the amount. 

Liquidation data on crypto exchanges. Source: Bybit
Liquidation data on crypto exchanges. Source: Bybit

A 30-40% correction has been a standard in Bitcoin bull markets, which seldom run on over-leveraged longs across these platforms. 

For example, the funding rate for Ethereum longs on BitMEX—even after the drop—is close to 474% annually. Similarly, for Bitcoin, the funding rates are running above 70% annually. Moreover, a quick recovery above $30,000 after the CME gap fill is seen as a robust bullish signal.

https://twitter.com/CanteringClark/status/1346075318839357440

While the bullish market sentiments seem unhinged by the correction, the high funding rate for long orders on futures markets can act as a catalyst for additional correction. Todays’ low, around $27,750, will act as support for a positive trend. 

Share this article

Loading...