Bitcoin, Ether and XRP Slide as $1.53 Billion in Crypto Bets Are Liquidated

Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and XRP fell as about $1.53 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated over a 24-hour period, a wave dominated by bets on rising prices.

The tally included roughly $1.29 billion in long positions, trades structured to gain if prices rise. It was published at 2:22 a.m. ET Friday (06:22 UTC), but its exact 24-hour cutoff was not provided.

An earlier 24-hour estimate put liquidations at $1.49 billion, including the same $1.29 billion in long positions. The estimates came at different publication times, and neither specified the window's endpoint, so they do not establish a like-for-like increase.

Liquidation is a forced closure when a trader's collateral can no longer support a leveraged position. Long trades are built to profit from price increases, so falling prices can leave them unable to meet collateral requirements. The $1.53 billion figure counts positions closed across derivatives venues; it is a snapshot of forced trading activity during the window.