Weekend selloff wipes out $290 billion before bitcoin steadies: Crypto Markets Today
Yahoo Finance·2026-02-02 11:30

Crypto Market Overview - The crypto market faced a significant sell-off over the weekend, resulting in a drop of $290 billion in market capitalization, with Bitcoin (BTC) falling to $74,674 and Ethereum (ETH) to $2,164, although both have since recovered by approximately 1% [1] - The market-wide futures open interest (OI) decreased to $108.94 billion, the lowest level since April, indicating a growing aversion to leveraged bets [5] - Over $800 million in leveraged positions were force-closed by exchanges within 24 hours, primarily affecting bullish long positions [5] Equity and Commodities Market - U.S. equities are experiencing declines in pre-market trading, with S&P 500 index futures down 0.58% and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.85% [2] - Gold and silver prices have decreased by about 3.5% since midnight after reaching record highs last week [2] Derivatives and Trading Strategies - On the CME, Bitcoin futures opened lower at $77,730, following the weekend's price drop, with potential for a bounce above $80,000 [5] - The popularity of the $75,000 put option has increased, indicating downside fears among traders, alongside significant open interest in other put options at $80,000 and $70,000 [5] - A demand for ether put butterfly strategies has emerged, suggesting traders are anticipating market consolidation after recent volatility [5] Altcoin Market Dynamics - The altcoin market experienced a wave of liquidations, with over $300 million in ether positions forcibly closed in the past 24 hours [5] - Privacy coin DASH has lost 25% of its value over the past week, while other tokens like OP, SUI, ETH, and XTZ have also seen declines exceeding 20% [5] - HyperLiquid's HYPE token is an outlier, having increased by over 40% in the past week, attributed to significant trading volume in precious metals markets [5] Market Liquidity Conditions - Low liquidity in altcoin markets has led to exaggerated price movements due to insufficient resting orders on the order book, resulting in larger swings in both directions [6]

Weekend selloff wipes out $290 billion before bitcoin steadies: Crypto Markets Today - Reportify