Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Quick Summary Gold has entered a highly volatile phase, with sharp swings creating opportunity for traders but uncertainty for long-term investors. ChatGPT's model projects moderate upside for GLD into March 20, suggesting short-term stabilization after recent whipsaw moves. Active traders can use Apex Trader Funding to access leveraged gold futures after a single evaluation, while long-term investors ...

In the past 24 hours, nearly $1.7 billion in liquidations swept through the cryptocurrency market, with the total market capitalization declining by 6%. Bitcoin (BTC) alone accounted for nearly half of the total liquidations, with traders betting on further upside taking the biggest losses during the latest wipeout. Massive Liquidations Impact Leveraged Crypto Traders Data from CoinGlass shows a sharp wave of liquidations across the cryptocurrency market over the past 24 hours as asset prices declined f ...

Decrypt’s 2025 Project of the Year: @HyperliquidXHyperliquid, a venue for high-risk leveraged trading on volatile assets, captured the attention of the crypto industry like no other project this year. ...

Core Insights - The crypto market experienced over $1 billion in liquidations within 24 hours, affecting more than 190,000 traders, indicating a trend of significant volatility and leveraged trading losses in the crypto space [1][2]. Liquidation Data - A total of $1.03 billion in positions were liquidated, with over 70% being long positions amounting to $726.5 million, while short positions accounted for $308.2 million [2]. - The largest single liquidation was a BTC-USD position worth $96.51 million on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid [2]. Market Performance - The broader cryptocurrency market saw a 3.7% decline, with Bitcoin dropping below $90,000 before recovering to over $91,000 [3]. - Ethereum briefly fell below the $3,000 mark, trading at $3,050, down 4.4% in the past day, and has decreased nearly 40% since October 6 [4]. Cumulative Liquidations - Cumulative liquidations over the past week exceeded $5 billion, with the cryptocurrency sector losing $1.2 trillion in market capitalization over the last 42 days, representing a 28% decline in total value [5]. - The current market cap is approximately 24% lower than levels seen during the October 10 market crash, which resulted in over $19 billion in liquidations [6]. Market Dynamics - The ongoing liquidation trend suggests a structurally fragile market, exacerbated by intensified institutional outflows from mid-to-late October [7]. - Traders are increasingly engaging in high-leverage positions (20x–100x), where even a 2% price swing can lead to complete liquidation of trades [7].

Core Insights - Brett Harrison, former president of FTX US, is launching a new perpetual futures exchange named Architect, which will not include crypto markets [1][3] - Harrison criticizes leveraged trading on volatile crypto assets as "irresponsible" and highlights concerns about excessive leverage in the crypto market following a significant market crash [2][5] Company Overview - Architect will offer perpetual futures on traditional stocks, foreign exchange markets, and rare metals, while allowing the use of stablecoins as collateral [3] - The exchange will initially be available to institutional investors, with plans to open to retail investors in the near future [3] Industry Context - Perpetual futures are derivative contracts with no expiration, allowing traders to leverage their positions on asset price movements [3][4] - High leverage ratios, such as 100 or 1000 times the initial capital, on volatile markets can lead to significant risks, including account liquidation [5][6]

Core Insights - Bitcoin dropped below $106,000, resulting in nearly $1.2 billion in liquidated crypto positions over the past 24 hours, primarily affecting long positions [1][2] - Approximately 79% of total liquidations were long trades, impacting over 307,000 accounts, with the largest single liquidation being a $20.4 million ETH-USD long on Hyperliquid [2] - Bitcoin losses accounted for roughly $344 million, followed by Ether at $201 million and Solana at $97 million, with other high-beta tokens also experiencing significant losses [3] Market Activity - Hyperliquid led the exchanges with $391 million in activity, followed by Bybit at $300 million, Binance at $259 million, and OKX at $99 million, indicating a blend of on-chain and traditional trading platforms during market resets [4] - Liquidations occur when traders using borrowed funds cannot meet margin requirements, leading to forced closures that can trigger cascading sell-offs, known as "liquidation loops" [5] Market Context - Bitcoin's decline began late Thursday as it fell below the $107,000 level, causing forced closures in derivatives markets amid a tense macroeconomic backdrop, including renewed U.S.-China tensions and fluctuations in currency and commodity prices [6]

Group 1 - The cryptocurrency sector experienced a significant flash crash on October 10, triggered by President Trump's threat to increase tariffs on China, leading to a panic that wiped hundreds of billions of dollars off the market cap [1][4] - Bitcoin dropped over 12% from its previous week's peak, while Ethereum saw even larger declines, and meme coins like Dogecoin briefly fell by about 50% [5][6] - The crash was exacerbated by excessive financial leverage in the market, with approximately $19 billion in forced liquidations of leveraged positions reported, marking the largest liquidation event on record [7][8] Group 2 - The initial price shock from the tariff announcement led to a cascade of liquidations as many leveraged positions were simultaneously affected, highlighting vulnerabilities in the financial plumbing of the cryptocurrency market [2][6] - Non-Bitcoin and non-Ethereum assets experienced a 33% drop on average, with some tokens losing up to 99.9% of their value in a very short time frame [6][7]

Market Trends - The current market shows a rebound across the board, with volatility increasing over the past month [1] - The S&P 500 has rebounded approximately 2% after significant one-day drops, marking the best year for the "buy the dip" strategy since 2019 and the second best since the 1980s [2] Retail Investor Behavior - Retail investors are actively participating in the market, with many buying the dip, indicating a lack of nervousness among them [2][3] - A notable increase in market participation is observed among younger investors, with about one-third of 25-year-olds currently invested, up from 6% in 2015 [4] Income Level Participation - Investors from various income levels, particularly those earning between $30,000 and $80,000, are increasingly entering the market, contributing to the current bull market [6] Leverage and Volatility - The use of leveraged trading, particularly in crypto markets, is prevalent, with some traders utilizing up to 100x leverage, which can lead to significant gains or losses [9][11] - The volatility in the stock market may be exacerbated by leveraged trades, as traders often rebalance positions around market close, contributing to extreme price movements [12] Global Market Dynamics - The trading activity is not limited to the U.S., with significant participation from international investors, particularly in leveraged crypto trades, which account for a substantial portion of Bitcoin volumes [13]

Group 1 - GraniteShares is planning to launch 3X Leveraged ETFs based on XRP, Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, offering both short and long positions [1][2] - The current crypto ETF market is experiencing a bullish trend with significant profits and new token acquisitions, although regulatory delays are affecting the rollout of altcoin ETFs [2][4] - Most competitors have only proposed 2X return products, making GraniteShares' 3X offerings potentially advantageous in a riskier niche [3][4] Group 2 - XRP has been a popular choice for leveraged ETFs due to its broad appeal, with previous 2X XRP ETFs gaining popularity this summer [4][5] - In addition to XRP, GraniteShares is also proposing leveraged ETFs for Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, although market conditions may not favor all these tokens for risk-seeking investors [5][6] - The proposed leveraged ETFs would allow for both short and long positions, which could be beneficial in volatile market conditions [5]

Market Trend & Industry Dynamics - Kraken acquires Breakout to enable leveraged Bitcoin trading with funded accounts [1] Investment Opportunities & Potential Risks - Acquisition suggests Kraken's expansion into leveraged Bitcoin trading, potentially increasing market participation and risk [1]