Nearly $2 Billion Wiped Out in Crypto Liquidations Amid Brutal Sell-Off

Core Insights - The cryptocurrency market faced nearly $2 billion in liquidations within 24 hours, with total market capitalization falling below $3 trillion for the first time in five months [1][6] - Bitcoin was the primary contributor to these liquidations, accounting for nearly half of the total losses, primarily from long positions [1][4] Liquidation Details - A total of 391,164 traders were liquidated, resulting in total liquidations of $1.91 billion [2] - Long positions made up $1.78 billion of the liquidated amount, while short positions totaled $129.3 million [3] - The largest single liquidation occurred on Hyperliquid, involving a BTC-USD position worth $36.78 million [3] Major Contributors - Bitcoin led the liquidations with $929 million of its $960 million total coming from long positions, followed by Ethereum with $403.15 million, also primarily from leveraged longs [4] - Significant losses were reported among major ETH whales, with individual liquidations ranging from $2.9 million to $6.52 million as Ethereum fell below $2,900 [4] Notable Trader Losses - High-profile trader Machi saw his account value drop to $15,538, with total losses exceeding $20 million [5] - Another trader, known as the "Anti-CZ Whale," experienced substantial losses due to large leveraged long positions in ETH and XRP, with profits dropping from nearly $100 million to $30.4 million [5][6] Market Conditions - The total market capitalization decreased over 6% in one day, losing $1.3 trillion in value since early October [6] - The market is described as undergoing a "mechanical bear market," driven by heavy leverage and forced liquidations, creating a feedback loop that adds downward pressure [7]