Bulls Absorb 89% of $774 Million Crypto Liquidations as Leverage Unwinds

Leveraged bulls took the brunt of a $774.14 million crypto liquidation wave over the past 24 hours, losing $688.56 million.

Those traders were caught on the wrong side of the selloff, as macro and geopolitical factors weighed on markets, and a sharp stock rout in Asia added to the strain.

Ethereum Longs Paid the Biggest Crypto Liquidations Bill

BeInCrypto Markets data showed the total crypto market cap fell 4.40% to $2.77 trillion over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 2.67% to $81,594, while Ethereum (ETH) lost 4.46% to $2,429.16.

Altcoins fell further, with Solana (SOL) declining 7.11% to $103.62 and Zcash (ZEC) sliding 9.54%.

The drop caught traders betting on higher prices. CoinGlass data showed 172,662 traders liquidated, with longs making up 88.9% of the total and shorts accounting for $85.58 million.

Ethereum led with $169.23 million in liquidations, 86.3% of them longs. Bitcoin followed at $160.48 million, with longs at 90.2%. Solana saw $60.41 million wiped out, 94.2% of it longs.

The largest single order was a $9.65 million BTCUSDT long on Binance, liquidated at $81,772.75. Binance handled 51.9% of all liquidations.

While longs took heavy losses, some traders who bet on a decline sat on notable gains. Blockchain analytics account Lookonchain flagged AguilaTrades, a trader with $38 million in total losses, opening a 40x short on 124.24 BTC.

AguilaTrades(@AguilaTrades), who has lost a total of $38M, is back again!4 hours ago, he opened a 40x short on 124.24 $BTC ($10.14M) and is already up $165K in unrealized profit.Liquidation price: $83,432.22https://t.co/3KebVFQ2Rw pic.twitter.com/UszapAqXmT

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) October 13, 2026

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

What Pushed Crypto Lower?

The decline came as the Middle East conflict escalated. Houthi attacks on Saudi airports have killed at least 20 people in a week, including a US national, CBS reported.

President Donald Trump has said the US may join Saudi Arabia’s offensive against the Houthis in Yemen.

Inflation worries also hung over markets. Treasury yields sit near 24-year highs, raising the appeal of bonds over non-yielding assets.

Meanwhile, Asian equities came under heavy pressure. South Korea’s KOSPI fell nearly 5% on Tuesday as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix slid.

Tom Lee, who chairs Ethereum treasury firm BitMine, linked the Korean slump to crypto’s losses.

This major decline in Korean equities likely spilling over into crypto– margin liquidations in brokerage– Koreans major holders of crypto Short term pain $ETH https://t.co/Pe6bWrCBun

— Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FundstratDirect.com (@fundstrat) October 13, 2026

Will CPI Decide the Next Move?

The next test comes Wednesday, when the US releases its September Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. Economists expect annual inflation to rise to 3.7% from 3.4%.

A hotter print could strengthen rate-hike bets and add selling pressure, while softer inflation could ease them.

With longs carrying nearly 89% of the losses, Wednesday’s data may decide whether leveraged bulls rebuild or retreat further.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights