hodler

23 May 2026, 05:18

Overleveraged Bitcoin bulls get crushed in $576M wipeout

Crypto bulls saw more than half a billion dollars wiped out in liquidations after the crypto market printed red indexes all around. The cumulative digital assets market cap dipped by more than 2% over the last 24 hours to hover around $2.53 trillion. Bitcoin saw $55 billion leave its market cap amid the fresh sell-off. BTC price dropped by 3% while Ether slid by 4%. This comes in when the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) delayed its planned exemption framework linked to tokenized crypto stock trading. However, Kevin Warsh also got sworn in as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve. BTC pullback wipes out bulls According to CoinGlass data, more than 124,000 traders were liquidated over the past 24 hours. The total liquidations went on to hit $574.28 million. The single largest liquidation reportedly occurred on Bitget through the BTCUSDT perpetual pair. That one order was valued at around $32.4 million. Around 90% of those liquidated positions (approx $524 million) were bullish longs. This suggests that traders were expecting the crypto market to keep recovering, but it went the other way. Crypto liquidation on exchanges over the last 24 hours; Source: Coinglass Bitcoin price fell straight to the $75,000 level, triggering the liquidation of $214 million alone. Data shows that $209 million worth of liquidated bets (97%) turned out to be long positions. BTC has been dealing with mixed sentiments lately. Its price has dropped by 3% in the last 30 days, but it has still remained up by almost 7% over the past 60 days. The broader crypto market also weakened alongside Bitcoin. Ethereum, Solana, and XRP all declined more sharply as traders reduced risk exposure ahead of the weekend. The move comes during an increasingly fragile macro backdrop. Cryptopolitan reported that Kevin Warsh was officially sworn in as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was appointed by US President Donald Trump. However, Jerome Powell will reportedly remain at the Fed as a governor. During the swearing-in ceremony, Warsh said he would lead a “reform-oriented Federal Reserve” while learning from both past successes and failures. BTC traders face $2B liquidation risk Markets are also reacting to escalating tensions involving Iran. Reports suggest Trump is preparing for potential new military strikes against Iran. This comes after he canceled Memorial Day weekend plans. Multiple US military and intelligence officials reportedly also canceled travel plans and were placed on standby. This has fueled concerns that another geopolitical escalation could hit global markets. Bitcoin continues hovering inside a highly leveraged trading zone. Analysts suggest that it could trigger even larger forced liquidations. CoinGlass liquidation heat maps show that if Bitcoin falls below roughly $73,786, then it can trigger more than $1.29 billion in leveraged long positions of liquidation. It added that a breakout above roughly $80,995 would activate around $1.22 billion in bearish short positions. Derivatives analysts describe this setup as a liquidation “minefield”. This is where relatively small price moves can rapidly trigger cascading liquidations on either side of the market. It is being warned that Bitcoin breaking below $70,346 would place more than $2 billion in bullish positions at risk. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .

23 May 2026, 05:00

Hyperliquid Is Becoming A Core Infrastructure Layer For Crypto Finance

Hyperliquid is increasingly evolving from a high-performance trading platform into a foundational layer of crypto’s financial infrastructure. What began as a decentralized perpetual futures exchange has expanded into a broader ecosystem that attracts traders, liquidity providers, builders, and capital at a growing scale. As activity across the platform increases, market participants view Hyperliquid as a core venue for a significant portion of on-chain financial activity. How Hyperliquid’s Evolution Extends Beyond A Trading Platform Hyperliquid is steadily evolving beyond a trading platform and into a full-scale financial supercenter of the crypto economy. According to the Delphi Digital post on X, the protocol is increasingly consolidating functions that traditional finance (Tradfi) typically separates among brokers, exchanges, and custodians into a single on-chain venue. Related Reading: Hyperliquid (HYPE) Could See Prices Reach $190 In Optimistic Market Capture Scenario At the core of this evolution is HIP-4, a feature that introduces outcome-based trading, allowing users to express views that perpetual futures cannot capture. A trader going long on Bitcoin in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) can be right about the number and still lose on the price reaction, and binary pay on the outcome. The direct fees generated by HIP-4 represent only a small share compared to the trade flow already accumulated in Hyperliquid. At the expected volumes, HIP-4 contributes roughly $25 million against Hyperliquid’s $636 million run rate. Delphi Digital argues that the capital that would typically rotate out for event views to other platforms now remains in Hyperliquid, reinforcing its liquidity. Circle’s USDC sitting in the venue is currently generating treasury yield, with 90% of it recycled back into HYPE buybacks. Additionally, HIP-4 has also changed what vaults can run, and on-chain vaults have been limited to two linear instruments that can be expressed. However, outcome contracts introduce a powerful third instrument that pays directly on the event outcomes while netting against traditional directional position. With this added flexibility, vault creators can now build more sophisticated, event-driven strategies that hedge, and every trade that remains in the venue powers the flywheel. New All-Time High Reinforces Hyperliquid’s Market Leadership Hyperliquid is being viewed as a leading indicator for broader altcoin momentum. The CIO and founder of MNFund and MNCapital_vc, Michaël van de Poppe, noted that HYPE has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to move ahead of the rest of the market, often acting as an early signal that risk appetite is returning to digital assets. Related Reading: Hyperliquid Flips Solana By FDV As ‘Revenue Chains’ Race Heats Up In previous market cycles, strong momentum in HYPE has frequently been followed by broader strength across altcoins, making the asset a key indicator that many traders now monitor closely. However, with HYPE recently pushing toward a new all-time high in one of the strongest moves seen in the market for a long time, it shows there is an appetite for altcoins. Featured image from Medium, chart from Tradingview.com

23 May 2026, 04:00

Bitcoin Just Triggered A Rare Exchange Flow Setup – Here’s What History Suggests

Bitcoin is facing a critical test above $75,000 as selling pressure builds and the market searches for the structural support that would prevent the correction from extending further. The price is at a level that demands a response — and CryptoQuant analyst MorenoDV has identified a signal in the Bitcoin flow data that places the current moment in a historical context that spans nearly a decade of market cycles. The Bitcoin Fund Flow Ratio on Binance has returned to the 0.010 to 0.012 zone for the sixth time since 2018. That specific range — and the fact that the market has now visited it six times across eight years of dramatically different market conditions — is what gives the current reading its analytical weight. This is not a metric touching an arbitrary level. It is a metric returning to a zone that has preceded structural turning points in Bitcoin’s price on five previous occasions. The mechanics behind the ratio explain why those turning points occur. The Fund Flow Ratio measures BTC flowing through exchanges relative to total BTC transferred across the entire Bitcoin network. When the ratio is elevated, exchanges are driving a disproportionate share of network activity — the signature of active speculation, repositioning, and profit-taking. When it falls to the 0.010 to 0.012 zone, exchange activity has contracted to a small fraction of total network transfers, reflecting reduced speculative participation and a market that has retreated from aggressive trading behavior. Five previous visits to this zone preceded what came next. MorenoDV’s analysis examines whether the sixth is following the same pattern. The Sixth Visit to This Zone Since 2018 MorenoDV’s historical mapping of the Fund Flow Ratio gives the current reading its most precise analytical context. The 0.010 to 0.012 zone has appeared at meaningful junctures across Bitcoin’s entire modern market history — and the pattern that followed each visit is what makes the sixth occurrence worth examining carefully. The early 2019 instance arrived in the aftermath of the 2018 bear market, when Bitcoin was still trading near its cycle lows and exchange activity had compressed to reflect a market where most of the selling had already occurred. The ratio’s compression was not a sign of disinterest — it was the behavioral signature of a market where sellers had largely exhausted their pressure and the remaining participants were waiting rather than acting. What followed was the recovery that defined 2019’s price structure. The 2020 instance appeared during the base-building phase that preceded Bitcoin’s most significant bull market expansion. Fund flow activity on Binance remained compressed while price consolidated — and when demand returned and momentum accelerated, the ratio expanded sharply as investors flooded back to exchanges to position for and chase the developing trend. The compression preceded the expansion. The quiet preceded the move. The current setup presents the same structural question that each previous visit required the market to answer. Either the compression reflects genuine apathy — a market without the demand needed to initiate recovery — or it reflects sell-side exhaustion creating the foundation from which the next phase builds. MorenoDV’s analysis does not declare which interpretation is correct. It identifies the zone as the decision point where that question gets answered — and notes that five previous visits produced answers worth paying attention to. Bitcoin Consolidates Above Key Support Bitcoin continues consolidating near the $77,000 region after failing to sustain momentum above the critical $80,000 resistance zone earlier this month. The weekly chart shows a market trapped between recovery continuation and a broader macro correction, with price now hovering directly above an important structural support region between roughly $69,000 and $72,000 — the same area highlighted repeatedly throughout the recent consolidation phase. Technically, BTC remains below the 50-week moving average near the $82,000 region, which continues acting as dynamic resistance after rejecting the latest recovery attempt. At the same time, the price still trades above the 100-week and 200-week moving averages, meaning the longer-term macro structure has weakened but has not fully broken down. The most important feature on the chart is the developing compression between lower highs and defended support. Buyers have repeatedly stepped in around the highlighted support zones, preventing a deeper retrace toward the low-$60,000 range. However, each rebound has also produced weaker upside continuation, showing that bullish momentum remains fragile while macro uncertainty persists. Volume has gradually declined during the recovery attempt, suggesting the recent rebound lacked aggressive conviction. This aligns with the broader Fund Flow Ratio analysis showing compressed exchange activity and reduced speculative participation. For bulls, reclaiming the $82,000 level and the 50-week moving average would be the first signal that the correction phase is losing control. Until then, Bitcoin remains in a sensitive consolidation structure where both continuation and breakdown remain viable outcomes. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

23 May 2026, 04:00

Glassnode Says Bitcoin Options Traders Are Still Positioned For Trouble

Bitcoin’s drop back below $78,000 after a rejection near recent local range highs has left options traders positioned cautiously, according to new data shared by Glassnode. The firm said the options market continues to show compressed volatility expectations, elevated downside hedging demand, and a gamma structure that could amplify weakness if BTC moves toward the mid-$75,000 area. The move follows a failed attempt to hold near the upper end of the recent local range. While spot price action has softened, Glassnode’s thread focused on what derivatives positioning suggests beneath the surface: traders are still paying up for protection rather than aggressively chasing upside. “BTC broke back below $78K after being rejected near the recent local range highs,” Glassnode wrote. “Here’s what BTC options data shows on positioning, volatility expectations, and sentiment beneath the surface.” Bitcoin Options Traders Stay Defensive One of the clearest signals came from implied volatility. Glassnode said BTC implied volatility resumed its decline after a short-lived rebound earlier in the week. One-week implied volatility now sits near 31%, down from 39% earlier this week, while longer-dated implied volatility also moved slightly lower. The implication is that the market is not yet pricing a disorderly breakout in either direction, even as downside hedging remains elevated. “The market is pricing a quieter near term environment again,” Glassnode said. Related Reading: Bitcoin $78,000 Rebound Fizzles As Coinbase Premium Stays Red That calm, however, is not the same as bullish positioning. Glassnode said 25-delta skew remains “firmly in put territory” after the rejection near $82,000. One-week skew briefly touched 24% before easing, a sign that puts continued to trade at a strong premium to calls. “Traders continue to favor downside protection,” the firm wrote. The same caution appeared in Glassnode’s skew index ratio, which compares upside and downside implied volatility. Most tenors remain below 1, meaning puts are richer than calls. The exception is the six-month tenor, where the ratio still shows a call premium, suggesting that longer-dated upside demand has not disappeared entirely. Nearer-term positioning is more defensive. Glassnode said upside demand remains limited outside longer-dated structures, while the broader options surface continues to show investors seeking protection against further downside. Realized and implied volatility are also diverging. One-month realized volatility has fallen toward 27%, while one-month implied volatility remains closer to 35%. That leaves the volatility risk premium near recent highs, according to Glassnode. “Options still price more movement than BTC has recently delivered,” the firm said. The gamma profile adds another layer of risk. Glassnode identified a large short gamma cluster near $75,000, with roughly $3.2 billion of negative exposure below spot. In options markets, short gamma positioning can force dealers to hedge in ways that reinforce spot moves, potentially increasing volatility if price approaches key levels. Related Reading: Wintermute Says Bitcoin Rally Was A Squeeze, Low $70,000s Loom At the same time, positive gamma clusters near $78,000 and $80,000 may act as resistance. That setup leaves Bitcoin boxed between nearby upside friction and a lower zone where downside movement could accelerate. “This structure can accelerate downside volatility near 75K,” Glassnode wrote. Flows over the past week also leaned defensive. Put buying slightly led the tape, representing 25% of premium, while calls bought also accounted for 25%. Call selling remained elevated at 25.7% of flow, reinforcing the picture of muted upside appetite. Glassnode’s conclusion was direct: front-end implied volatility keeps compressing, the volatility spread is widening, skew remains in put territory, only the six-month skew index ratio shows a call premium, flows lean defensive, and a short gamma acceleration zone sits below spot. For traders, the takeaway is less about outright panic than asymmetry. Bitcoin options are not pricing a major volatility expansion in the immediate term, but the market is still paying for downside protection and showing limited confidence in near-term upside. Unless spot can reclaim the nearby resistance zones around $78,000 and $80,000, the options market appears positioned for continued caution. At press time, BTC traded at $76,744. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

23 May 2026, 04:00

GRASS up 27% amid ‘infrastructure supercycle’ sentiment: Is a breakout possible?

GRASS rallies following infrastructure sector strength, bullish sentiments, volume and a potential price breakout.

23 May 2026, 04:00

Can XRP Repeat Hyperliquid Price Success?

As Hyperliquid's HYPE token dominates inflows, tokenomics and technical resistance complicate a post-Clarity Act breakout for XRP.