Crypto market sees $1.84 billion liquidated in 24 hours, longs bear

A cascade of liquidations erased roughly $1.84 billion of leveraged positions in a 24‑hour window, the worst since early February 2024. Long traders absorbed the vast majority of the pain, losing about $1.66 billion while short sellers shed only $180 million [2].

The sell‑off was sparked by a confluence of macro pressures: escalating U.S.–Iran tensions and a jump in crude oil prices pushed risk‑averse investors out of crypto. Bitcoin slid through the $66,000 support line and Ethereum slipped below $1,900, triggering panic across the market [2]. Bitcoin’s long side alone took $883 million in liquidations, including a single $59.67 million BTC‑USDT position closed on the HTX exchange [2]. Ethereum long positions contributed $475 million, and Solana’s long traders lost $91 million, adding to a broader $88 million long liquidation reported for SOL earlier in the week [1].

Binance processed the largest share of the fallout, handling $748 million of liquidations—about 41 % of the total—with 89 % of those being long positions. Hyperliquid and Bybit followed, recording $314 million and $247 million respectively, each with over 90 % of the volume tied to longs [2]. More than 224,500 traders saw their positions wiped out, underscoring the depth of exposure to leveraged bets.

Even as prices fell, Bitcoin’s open interest rose from roughly 759,000 BTC to 788,600 BTC, hinting that new short positions were entering the market and reinforcing bearish sentiment [2]. The surge in liquidations also coincided with a $3.5 billion outflow from institutional Bitcoin ETFs over the past ten trading sessions, adding further pressure on the asset’s price [2].

The episode highlights how fragile leveraged crypto exposure remains amid geopolitical shocks and rising commodity prices. With long positions disproportionately liquidated, the next move of major exchanges and the behavior of short sellers will determine whether the market can stabilize or face deeper declines.