The recent market plunge has sent shockwaves through the crypto industry, resulting in hundreds of millions in dollars being wiped out in a matter of hours.
The price of Bitcoin has retreated violently to a weekly low of $67,500 after a few days of showing remarkable advances and setting new all-time highs.
The altcoins have experienced a significant decline as well, resulting in nearly 200,000 traders making liquidations during the last 24 hours.
The weekend brought a tremor to the cryptocurrency market, with a sudden price correction causing short-term panic and hundreds of millions in liquidated positions.
However, despite the wobble, analysts are divided on whether this signifies a broader market shift or a mere blip on the bullish radar.
Crypto Long Squeeze Triggers Liquidations
Over a 24-hour period ending Friday, March 15th, the global cryptocurrency market capitalization shed a cool 6%. This triggered a wave of automated liquidations, particularly for investors holding leveraged long positions – essentially large bets on rising prices.
According to Coinglass, a crypto data analysis platform, over $800 million worth of long positions were liquidated across the market. Bitcoin itself bore the brunt of the selling pressure, dipping as low as $67,000 – its lowest point in over a week.
Liquidation heatmap in the 24-hour timeframe. Source: Coinglass
Liquidation heatmap in the 24-hour timeframe. Source: The pain wasn’t evenly distributed. Over one third of the liquidations, a total of $660 million, came from long positions on Bitcoin.
Altcoin Bloodbath Follows Bitcoin’s Lead
The tremors weren’t confined to Bitcoin. The correction spilled over to the altcoin market, with popular tokens like Cardano, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and XRP all experiencing significant price drops.
This, in turn, triggered further liquidations for long positions held on these altcoins. XRP traders alone saw over $10 million liquidated, with nearly $11 million coming from long positions.
Total crypto market cap is currently at $2.5 trillion. Chart: TradingView
Crypto Market Fights Back: Buying The Dip
Despite the week’s fright, the overall sentiment in the crypto market remains surprisingly bullish. This is primarily fueled by the swift buying activity observed at key support levels as prices dipped.
Bitcoin, the world’s most sought-after crypto asset, for example, has already staged a partial recovery, bouncing back to a little over $69,000 at the time of writing.
Similar rebounds have been observed across several altcoins, suggesting that investors might be viewing this as a buying opportunity.
This correction can be seen as a healthy market reset after a strong rally, some analysts say. While some leveraged positions got burned, the fact that investors are stepping in to buy the dip indicates continued confidence in the long-term potential of cryptocurrencies.
A Continued Balancing Act
The weekend’s events serve as a microcosm of the ongoing struggle within the crypto market. On one hand, there’s a growing sense of institutional adoption and mainstream acceptance, fueling a bullish sentiment.
On the other, the inherent volatility of crypto assets continues to pose a challenge, with sudden price swings capable of inflicting significant losses on unsuspecting investors.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
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