Key Points:
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Bitcoin drops over 4% to $105,500, erasing gains from the October rebound and testing support near recent crash lows.
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More than $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions liquidated across exchanges as volatility surges.
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Despite the decline, analysts like Tom Lee remain confident Bitcoin could reach $200,000 and Ether $7,000 by year-end.
Renewed Market Pressure Sends Bitcoin Back Toward October Lows
Bitcoin extended its losses Monday, tumbling more than 4% to $105,500, as risk sentiment weakened and leveraged traders faced mass liquidations. The downturn wiped out nearly all of the gains made since the October 10 crash, underscoring the fragility of the current crypto rebound.
According to CoinGlass, over $1 billion worth of leveraged crypto positions were liquidated across major exchanges in the last 24 hours. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) accounted for the majority of the liquidations, highlighting the continued role of derivatives-driven volatility in shaping short-term market movements.
Other major cryptocurrencies followed suit: Ether dropped 6% to $2,940, while Solana (SOL) fell 9% to $171. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI), which tracks a broad basket of digital assets, slipped 4.7% on the day.
Derivatives and Sentiment Drive Selling Pressure
Analysts point to a combination of macroeconomic uncertainty, fading risk appetite, and technical breakdowns as drivers of the latest slide. “We’re seeing cascading liquidations across futures markets, similar to what happened during the mid-2022 drawdown,” said David Duong, head of institutional research at Coinbase.
While Bitcoin’s long-term fundamentals — including hash rate growth and ETF inflows — remain intact, short-term speculative positioning continues to amplify market swings. Data from Kaiko Research shows perpetual futures funding rates for Bitcoin turned negative for the first time in three weeks, signaling traders are betting on further downside.
Despite the volatility, long-term holders appear undeterred. On-chain data from Glassnode indicates that Bitcoin’s “HODL waves” — coins held for over a year — remain near record highs, suggesting investors view current weakness as an accumulation opportunity rather than a structural breakdown.
Market Resilience and Analyst Optimism
Even as the crypto sector faced renewed selling, traditional equity markets offered a mixed backdrop. The Nasdaq Composite briefly climbed 0.4% early in the session before trimming gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%. AI-related stocks led initial strength but couldn’t offset the risk-off tone triggered by crypto losses.
Tom Lee, co-founder and CIO of FundStrat Capital, remained upbeat despite the downturn. Speaking on CNBC, Lee said he believes Bitcoin could still rally to $200,000 by year-end, while Ethereum could reach $7,000 by 2026. “Fundamentals are leading prices,” Lee noted. “This consolidation phase is typical before major upward moves.”
Shares of crypto-related firms mirrored digital asset declines. Coinbase (COIN) fell 4%, Marathon Digital (MARA) slipped 4%, and MicroStrategy (MSTR) dropped 3%. Circle (CRCL) and Gemini (GEMI) each lost over 6%, underscoring the breadth of the correction.
Strategic Perspective: Fear as a Setup for Opportunity
The sharp sell-off and sentiment reset may, paradoxically, create favorable entry points for disciplined investors. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index recently fell to 24, its lowest level since early 2024 — historically a zone that precedes medium-term rallies.
While short-term turbulence remains likely amid macro uncertainty and leveraged unwinds, the structural thesis for digital assets — underpinned by institutional adoption, ETF flows, and Bitcoin’s halving cycle — continues to attract longer-term capital.
As volatility reasserts itself, market observers suggest viewing the current pullback not as an ending, but as a recalibration before the next phase of potential growth.
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