Bitcoin Dip Sparks $1.1B in Liquidations as 55.6K BTC Heads to Exchanges

Bitcoin slid below $81,000 in a renewed selloff, briefly touching $80,350 before rebounding toward $82,500. The move triggered close to $1.1 billion in crypto liquidations over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass. CoinGlass data for the 24 hours through 10:00 UTC Friday showed the washout was overwhelmingly concentrated in bullish bets. Long positions accounted for about $1.05 billion of the total, making leveraged buyers the main victims of the downturn. It marked the biggest daily liquidation print since Aug. 21, when a sharp rise instead forced roughly $1.3 billion in short positions to close. The selloff extends a volatile week for Bitcoin and adds to the ongoing derivatives deleveraging cycle, where shifts in open interest and forced liquidations have repeatedly reshaped short-term price action. On-chain indicators pointed to additional pressure from newer holders. CryptoQuant contributor Amr Taha said short-term holders—defined as entities holding Bitcoin for up to six months without selling—sent 55,600 BTC to exchanges at a loss on Thursday. That loss-driven exchange flow exceeded the level seen on June 26, even though BTC was trading above $81,000 this time compared with $59,300 then. The exchange transfers do not confirm that all 55,600 BTC were sold, but they show coins moving to venues where selling becomes possible. The shift also breaks with the recent stretch of profitability among short-term holders, a detail that can influence how exchange inflows are interpreted. With Bitcoin recovering toward $82,500, that level now sits at the center of the next market test. Analyst Rekt Capital said a weekly close below roughly $82,500, followed by the level flipping into resistance, would place Bitcoin back inside its Macro Accumulation Range. CryptoQuant added that aggressive, loss-driven selling by short-term participants can sometimes coincide with short-term capitulation, potentially clearing weaker hands ahead of a rebound. For now, neither scenario is confirmed: exchange inflows can precede selling, and liquidation-led declines can stabilize without an immediate reversal. The latest episode leaves $82,500 as the key level to watch.