Over the past two days, crypto liquidations reached $1.26 billion.
Bitcoin’s BTC $108 577 24h volatility: 3.2% Market cap: $2.16 T Vol. 24h: $29.98 B long-awaited surge beyond the $100,000 mark has set the market abuzz, but it also triggered significant liquidations. On December 4, over $676 million worth of perpetual futures contracts were liquidated on centralized exchanges, according to data from CoinGlass.
A total of 209,359 traders were affected, with long positions bearing the brunt of the losses. Investors who bet on Bitcoin (BTC) climbing higher accounted for $373 million in liquidations, while short positions added $305 million to the tally.
Bitcoin’s Historic Rally and Market Impact
Bitcoin’s rally began in November, fueled by renewed optimism following Donald Trump‘s re-election as US president. The news gave BTC fresh momentum, pushing it to an all-time high of $103,361. However, this sharp ascent caught many derivatives traders off guard.
CoinGlass data shows that Bitcoin alone contributed $182.5 million to the total liquidations, while Ethereum ETH $2 652 24h volatility: 4.9% Market cap: $320.29 B Vol. 24h: $21.62 B accounted for $91.6 million. Similarly, Ripple’s XRP and Solana SOL $157.3 24h volatility: 3.7% Market cap: $83.09 B Vol. 24h: $4.92 B also saw significant losses, recording $56 million and $21 million in liquidations, respectively.
Other cryptocurrencies, including Cardano ADA $0.65 24h volatility: 4.1% Market cap: $23.62 B Vol. 24h: $571.31 M and Binance Coin BNB $658.6 24h volatility: 1.9% Market cap: $96.12 B Vol. 24h: $656.83 M , experienced combined liquidations of more than $112 million. The single largest liquidation occurred on Bybit, where a trader lost $8.91 million in Bitcoin positions.
Binance led the liquidation activity among exchanges, wiping out more than $260 million in leveraged positions. OKX and Bybit followed closely, recording $163 million and $161 million in liquidations, respectively.
XRP Overthrows USDT to Reclaim Its Place
The liquidation surge also continued heightened volatility for derivatives traders. Just a day earlier, $588 million in futures contracts were liquidated, bringing the two-day total to over $1.26 billion.
Tuesday’s liquidation was led by XRP XRP $2.33 24h volatility: 8.0% Market cap: $137.29 B Vol. 24h: $3.80 B , which briefly reclaimed its spot as the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, overtaking Tether USDT $1.00 24h volatility: 0.0% Market cap: $155.52 B Vol. 24h: $48.41 B for the first time in years.
The digital asset skyrocketed 415%, peaking at $2.5 for the first time following its legal battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2020. However, this upward trajectory was short-lived as the token’s price later declined, leading to $69 million in liquidations – $36 million in longs and $33 million in shorts.
Dogecoin, typically known for its relative stability compared to other cryptocurrencies, experienced approximately $22.5 million in liquidations. The market downturn was partly influenced by reports of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposing martial law amid a political crisis. This unrest significantly impacted the crypto market, with South Korean exchanges like Upbit witnessing sharper price declines than their global counterparts.
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