Bitcoin wavers on $1.9B leveraged liquidations, ETF outflows

What to Know:

• Week saw $1.9B liquidations as margin limits and risk thresholds breached.
• Stop-loss breaks forced exchanges to close longs, sparking cascading sell pressure.

Over $1.9B in leveraged positions were liquidated in the past seven days, as reported by The Market Periodical. The figure reflects a week-long flush that accelerated when risk thresholds and margin limits were hit across venues.

Leverage amplifies moves: when prices fall through stops, exchanges auto-close margined longs, which can trigger further selling. This cascade thins order books, widens spreads, and forces additional unwinds as collateral values drop.

Why it matters now: Bitcoin long liquidations and ETF outflows

The latest drawdown was led by Bitcoin long liquidations alongside outflows from spot ETFs, as reported by Bitcoin Insider. That combination typically elevates intraday volatility and tightens risk budgets for market makers and arbitrage desks.

From an on-chain and derivatives lens, a confirmed bear cycle generally requires deeper breaches of holder cost-basis cohorts, according to CryptoQuant. Until those thresholds fail decisively, the episode resembles a leverage reset more than a structural break.

Market veterans also note the absence of systemic failures that defined the 2022 crisis. “The pain is driven more by price drops than by structural failures,” said Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital.

Key Bitcoin levels: $81K–$82K support, $88K reclaim

Traders are watching $81K–$82K as near-term support, where a stabilization would reduce the risk of another cascade. A sustained reclaim of $88K would signal regained momentum and discourage further forced deleveraging.

Validation signs could include normalized funding rates, rebuilding open interest at lower leverage, and a turn to net-positive ETF flows. Absent these, any bounce may remain fragile and headline-sensitive.