Nearly $900 million in leveraged cryptocurrency positions were wiped out in the 24-hour period ending late 25 August, according to data compiled by analytics platform Coinglass. The firm counted 147,580 traders whose long- and short-bets were forcibly closed as volatility intensified across major tokens, with longs accounting for roughly $820 million of the total losses. The liquidation wave came on the heels of a sharp price swing in Bitcoin and an aggressive rally in Ethereum. Bitcoin slumped about $4,000 within minutes on 24 August, triggering more than $300 million in long liquidations. Hours earlier, Ethereum’s climb to the high-$4,900 area, its highest level since the 2024 market peak, had squeezed bearish positions, driving intraday liquidations to more than $390 million, the bulk of them shorts. The week’s turbulence began on 22 August when a short squeeze erased some $200 million in bearish bets within a single hour, including $112 million tied to Ethereum. By 23 August, liquidations of short positions across the market over a 24-hour span had reached nearly $500 million as traders scrambled to cover exposure to Ethereum’s advance. Derivatives desks are now watching the $5,000 threshold for Ethereum. Coinglass estimates that a break above that level could force the closure of as much as $2.2 billion in outstanding ETH shorts, potentially amplifying price swings. The latest shake-out underscores the persistent leverage in crypto markets and the speed with which positions can be unwound when prices move sharply in either direction.
Total Reported Exchange Liquidations 24 hrs $904.05m Longs $821.99m Shorts $82.06m https://t.co/qHOYJK4ZaD
#Bitcoin Liquidation Map - $1b Longs to $108800 $15b Shorts to $122k https://t.co/nhwtf3TqEI
$300M IN LONGS LIQUIDATED IN HOURS, HEADED LOWER? Over $300 million in long positions were wiped out in the last few hours as markets dipped sharply. The question now, is this just a flush, or the start of a deeper move down? https://t.co/E8r48ypAv4 https://t.co/FyfVqDJAc7