Bitcoin surged above $85,000 as a wave of short liquidations accelerated the cryptocurrencys strongest advance since January.
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Data from CryptoSlate showed BTC gained more than 5% over the past 24 hours to reach $85,193, extending its advance over the past 35 days to about 29%. The asset had eased to $84,545 as of press time after breaking through levels that had constrained its recovery for much of the year.
The rally caught bearish traders heavily exposed. CoinGlass data showed about $750.5 million of leveraged crypto positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, with more than $648 million, or roughly 86%, coming from shorts. About 137,386 traders were liquidated during the period.
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Bitcoin accounted for roughly $360 million of the liquidations, while Ethereum contributed nearly $171 million. The largest single liquidation was an $11.29 million BTC-USDT position on Binance.
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The forced unwinding coincided with a sharp increase in aggressive buying across Bitcoin derivatives markets. CryptoQuant data showed net taker volume on Binance jumped from about $11 million to $618 million within an hour as European trading opened, signaling a sudden imbalance toward market buyers.
Bitcoin Net Taker Volume on Binance (Source: CryptoQuant)
CryptoQuant attributed the shift partly to improving geopolitical sentiment, as investors responded to signs of potential diplomatic progress between the US and Iran. Oil prices also declined as markets weighed the prospect of talks, helping support a broader return of risk appetite despite continued tensions in the region.
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Meanwhile, elevated leverage also amplified BTC's price movement. Bitcoin open interest stands at about $28.83 billion, close to its May record, leaving a large pool of derivatives positions vulnerable to further price swings.
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That positioning can continue to work in Bitcoins favor if prices rise and additional short sellers are forced to cover. It also leaves the market exposed to a sharper reversal.
However, if Bitcoin loses momentum, leveraged long positions could unwind rapidly, turning the same mechanics that accelerated the rally into a source of selling pressure.
Bitcoin clears long-term bear-market markers
The move above $85,000 has also pushed Bitcoin through technical levels traders have watched for months as evidence that the downturn is ending.
Bitcoin closed above its 50-week moving average last week for the first time since November 2025, ending a 45-week stretch below the threshold. Galaxy Digital Head of Firmwide Research Alex Thorn said previous recoveries of the measure have often provided strong confirmation that Bitcoin had already established its bear-market low.
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Bitcoin's 50-week moving average (Source: Galaxy Digital)
The signal has not been flawless. Galaxy research shows Bitcoin has previously reclaimed the 50-week average only to fall back below it, including during the 2021-2022 bear market.
CryptoQuant Chief Executive Ki Young Ju highlighted another closely watched level after Bitcoin moved back above its 365-day moving average near $83,000. He said holding that threshold could encourage momentum traders and institutional investors who had remained on the sidelines during the decline to return.
In view of this, Bitcoin analyst Joe Consorti argued the market was tentatively entering a “bull market.”
However, the breakout's strength has yet to produce a comparable increase in underlying network activity.
Blockchain analysis firm Santiment said new and active Bitcoin addresses remained near their median levels between July 24 and Sept. 20, even as the price broke higher. Social activity rose to 1.23 times its baseline and transactions worth more than $100,000 climbed to 1.18 times normal levels, but neither reached a two-month high.
Bitcoin Price and New Addresses on The Blockchain (Source: Santiment)
The contrast was visible against Bitcoins Aug. 21 rally, when the asset gained almost 7%. That move generated more wallet activity despite producing a less significant technical breakout, with new addresses reaching 1.07 times their baseline and active addresses climbing to 1.14 times.
Santiment said 10 weekdays over the past two months produced more new wallets than the latest Sept. 18 breakout session.
Derivatives activity has been much stronger. Open interest jumped about 9% on Sept. 18 and has remained elevated, reinforcing the gap between leveraged market participation and activity on the Bitcoin network itself.
That divergence makes the rally's durability increasingly dependent on whether fresh spot demand emerges. Forced buying from short liquidations can propel Bitcoin through resistance, but its impact diminishes as bearish positions are cleared. Holding above $85,000 will require new capital to replace traders forced to buy back losing bets.