Bitcoin Leverage Flush Wipes Out $8B in Open Interest as Whales Accumulate

A brutal leverage wipeout pushed Bitcoin into a “value zone,” with capitulating traders and mid-sized whales quietly buying the dip.

Bitcoin (BTC) is showing tentative signs of stabilization after a turbulent month, with a massive $8 billion evaporation from futures markets signaling a painful but necessary cleansing of excessive speculation.

This dramatic leverage reset, combined with steady accumulation by larger investors, suggests the foundation for a potential recovery is being laid, even as prices tread well below recent peaks.

Bitcoin Price Mounts Necessary Market Reset

Over the past month, the cryptocurrency derivatives landscape underwent a significant transformation. Data from CryptoQuant indicates the total open interest in Bitcoin futures contracts dropped from approximately $37 billion to around $29 billion.

According to XWIN Research Japan, this sharp decline points to a widespread liquidation of leveraged positions, effectively forcing out over-optimistic traders and reducing systemic risk within the market.

The flush-out was accompanied by a notable shift in investor behavior. XWIN’s analytics revealed that mid-sized investors have been consistently adding to their holdings in the 10 to 1,000 BTC range. At the same time, short-term holders have been realizing substantial losses, exceeding $900 million daily, a classic indicator of market capitulation.

This period of stress has pushed key market value metrics into what the analysts termed a “value zone.” The MVRV ratio, which compares Bitcoin’s market cap to its realized cap, has fallen to 1.54, a level that has frequently coincided with price rebounds in the past.

The overall mood remains deeply pessimistic, with the Fear & Greed Index recently hitting a nine-month low. However, this negative sentiment appears at potential turning points, as shared by Ted Pillows, who noted that “capitulation precedes relief” and that seller exhaustion can create conditions for a bullish recovery.

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Bitcoin Maps Path to Recovery, Price Range Back to $91,000

At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s price showed a 20% drop over the past month and is currently changing hands near $91,000. In the last 24 hours, the leading market cap crypto managed a 5% gain on a trading range situated between $86,500 and $91,800.

Market observers are closely watching specific price levels for clues on future direction. As noted by Daan Crypto Trades, a significant pocket of liquidity appears to have formed in the $97,000 to $98,000 zone, a region that previously witnessed heavy selling.

Reclaiming the $93,000-$94,000 area is seen by some as the step before the path towards a psychologically important $100,000 mark.