Trading

According to CryptoQuant, Ethereum derivatives have seen sharp deleveraging, with aggregate open interest sliding from $33.3 billion to about $11 billion, a 66% decline. CoinGlass also tracked roughly $189 million in 24‑hour liquidations as price moved toward $1,900, while exchange balances reached a multi‑year low of 16.1 million ETH.

About 30,600 Bitcoin options with roughly $2 billion notional are expiring on Friday, Feb. 20. Coinglass places max pain near $70,000 and Deribit cites a 0.59 put/call ratio; another 212,000 Ethereum contracts worth about $404 million also roll off. Spot markets remain range-bound, with Bitcoin near $67,290 after a $65,700 weekly low.

The energy markets are on a knife-edge. On February 20, 2026, crude oil benchmarks are surging toward levels not seen in half a year. As geopolitical chess pieces move across the Middle East and U.S. inventory data defies every analyst’s prediction, the question for every trader is simple: Is $70 oil inevitable, or are we at a massive bull trap?

MemeCore fell 9.5% in the past 24 hours, with sentiment leaning bearish and its CoinMarketCap ranking under pressure. Spot volume shifted just 0.3% to roughly $5.82 million and holder counts dipped from 6,710 to 6,700, according to CoinMarketCap. CoinGlass flagged a 14.7% capital outflow and funding near neutral.

Bitcoin slipped to a $65,650 low and is holding beneath $67,500 and the 100‑hour simple moving average. A push above the $67,400–$68,000 resistance zone could open $68,800 and $69,500, while failure risks revisiting $66,000, $65,650 and potentially $65,050–$64,500. Hourly MACD is losing bearish momentum as RSI stays above 50.

Bitcoin’s price is stabilizing, but on-chain data shows a 42% slide in active addresses and a 47% fall in new address creation since the 2021 cycle peak. Recent analysis also indicates about $27.89 billion in unrealized losses, a 23% value drawdown, with ETF and self-custody holders under pressure around key support levels near $58,700 and $54,700.

Bitcoin fell to a low of $60,000 after flashing a sell signal near $95,000, and was trading at $66,988 with a 1.75% daily loss and a 46% drawdown from its $126,000 peak. Key on-chain and market metrics, including a Sharpe Ratio of -38, an all-time high Stock to Flow Ratio rising from 127 to 261, and the MVRV Z Score dropping to $0.445, suggest a possible cycle bottom even as price consolidates between $65,000 and $70,000. Despite extreme bearish sentiment and weak market structure, heightened scarcity and historical patterns could set the stage for a future recovery if selling pressure eases.

Bitcoin has repeatedly failed to close above $70,000 and remained capped below that level, trading around $66,980 at the time of writing. According to analyst Sherlock, a rebound into $72,000 to $76,000 could be a bull trap, citing Strategy's 714,644 BTC at a $76,052 average cost and additional supply risks from spot ETF positioning.

Bitcoin’s recent pullback has seen wallets holding 0.1–1 BTC steadily accumulate, boosting their balances by about 1.05% since the October price peak. In contrast, holders with 1–10 BTC have trimmed exposure to a 38‑month low, while SOPR data shows both long‑ and short‑term participants increasingly transacting near breakeven or at losses.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong told CNBC at the World Liberty Forum in Florida that the latest Bitcoin decline reflects market psychology and profit taking rather than weakening fundamentals. He called the move temporary and said Coinbase is repurchasing shares and adding BTC at lower prices, while on‑chain data indicates whales have accumulated more than 200,000 BTC.