51 min temu
Ethereum Exit Queue Jumps After 5% Slide; Long Liquidations Reach $112M
Ethereum (ETH) is flashing mixed signals, keeping traders on edge as volatility feeds on itself. A 5% one-day drop on March 26 marked ETH's weakest daily close since the West Asian conflict began. Buyers failed to retake the $2.2k area, putting the $2k level back under pressure and cementing a bearish technical picture.
The next day, leverage unwound sharply. CoinGlass data shows roughly $112 million in daily liquidations, with more than 90% tied to long positions. It was the largest long squeeze in nearly ten days, underscoring how quickly resistance can cascade into forced selling.
Stress also showed up on-chain. Lookonchain reported an early Ethereum holder unstaking after four years and selling 7,302 ETH at $2,073. Over the same period, the validator exit queue surged from 288 to 63k in less than a week, a sign more validators are moving to withdraw staked ETH as caution rises.
One trader's activity captures the current risk appetite. Lookonchain said machibigbrother's ETH longs were fully liquidated again. After depositing 500k USDC three days earlier, a string of liquidations left $138k, bringing total losses to $30.75 million. He then opened a new 25x long on 1,600 ETH, worth about $3.33 million.
Exchange data adds a conflicting signal. CryptoQuant shows ETH held on exchanges has fallen to a 10-year low, the smallest amount since 2016. Net withdrawals have remained steady, including $1.67 billion pulled from exchanges on March 22. AMBCrypto describes the setup as classic deleveraging: leveraged traders intensify short-term swings, while declining exchange supply points to longer-term scarcity.
If liquidation-driven selling cools and liquidity stabilizes, reduced exchange balances could give bulls room to regain momentum, with $2.5k emerging as a key upside target.
Final Summary
A 5% pullback, rising validator exits, and heavy long liquidations are reinforcing Ethereum's technical weakness and risk-off sentiment. At the same time, exchange balances are at a 10-year low, potentially clearing excess leverage and leaving a path for ETH to rebound toward $2.5k once selling pressure eases.