Bitcoin breaks $87,000 as liquidations surpass $1 billion
Bitcoin surged above $85,000 and touched $87,000 on September 21, 2026, setting off massive short covering that pushed 24-hour cryptocurrency liquidations past $1 billion.
Bitcoin advanced past $85,000 and touched $87,000 on September 21, 2026, sparking rapid liquidations of bearish derivative positions. Citing a CryptoQuant analyst, Cointelegraph reported that $618 million in net taker volume hit Binance within an hour, eliminating more than $400 million in crypto shorts as the price crossed $85,000. Cointelegraph separately reported that $108.8 million in shorts were cleared in one hour as Bitcoin reached $87,000, alongside a 39 percent jump in crypto trading volume.[5][8][7]
Market tracking estimates for 24-hour wipeouts showed shorts taking the brunt of losses. BSCNews cited CoinGlass figures showing $928.8 million in total liquidations across 130,256 traders, with shorts representing $767.3 million and Bitcoin leading with $503.2 million. Later tallies by market commentators Scott Melker and Crypto Patel placed total 24-hour liquidations between $1.06 billion and $1.09 billion, with shorts accounting for between $845.76 million and $919.48 million. Crypto Patel reported the largest single liquidation reached $20.86 million on BTC-USD.[6][2][4]
Traders and analysts highlighted leverage as a key catalyst. Trader @KookCapitalLLC characterized the breakout as forced short covering rather than spot market demand, observing that open interest stood near $28.8 billion while active address counts remained near median levels. CryptoSlate reported that Bitcoin reclaimed its 50-week moving average for the first time since November 2025, but noted weak exchange-traded fund flows and increasing leverage leave $85,000 as a focal level.[3][1]
Sources 路 6 sources
- CR
CryptoSlate@CryptoSlatePost on X 路
Bitcoin broke above $87,000 after reclaiming its 50-week moving average for the first time since November 2025. Eleven of the 13 previous weekly reclaims tracked by Galaxy held without a new bear-market low. This time, ETF flows are still weak and leverage is climbing, making $85,000 the next level to watch. https://t.co/GthC21u8l8
Open source - TW
The Wolf Of All Streets@scottmelkerPost on X 路
馃毃 $1.09 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours as Bitcoin surged above $87,000. Of that total, $919.48 million came from shorts, including $557.64 million in Bitcoin shorts alone. At the same time, $160 billion was added to total crypto market cap in the past 24 hours. Bitcoin is up around +7.3% over the past 24 hours and +10% over the past 7 days. This officially puts Bitcoin up +50% since its low seen just 2 months ago, and +17.5% this month, even after the Senate failed to pass the Clarity Act. Respectfully, I would not wait for lower $BTC prices.
Open source - KO
kook@KookCapitalLLCPost on X 路
the rally is shorts buying themselves out btc cleared ~85k ~648m short liquidations in 24h ~86% of the wipeout was shorts ~137k traders got clipped binance net taker volume jumped from ~11m to ~618m in one hour as europe opened sounds like conviction looks like forced covering sentiment says new + active addresses stayed near median through the breakout big wallets moved a bit social hummed none of it hit a 2-month high aug 21 printed more wallet activity on a weaker move oi still ~28.8b near may highs same leverage that squeezed shorts can unwind longs if this stalls forced buying gets you through the door spot demand is what keeps the lights on so is this the squeeze or the start??????
Open source - CP
Crypto Patel@CryptoPatelPost on X 路
$1.06B In Crypto Liquidations In Just 24 Hours With 1.37M+ Traders Wiped Out. Shorts Accounted For $845.76M, While The Largest Single Liquidation Hit $20.86M On BTC-USD. Shorts: $846 million Longs: $213 million Leverage Is Ruthless. https://t.co/xv2wtMT46h
Open source - CO
Cointelegraph@CointelegraphPost on X 路
鈿★笍 LATEST: $618M in net taker volume hit Binance within an hour, wiping out over $400M in crypto shorts as Bitcoin broke above $85K, according to a CryptoQuant analyst. https://t.co/t1T8sUd4ZP
Open source - BS
BSCN@BSCNewsPost on X 路
Bears got caught leaning the wrong way... Crypto traders saw $928.8M in leveraged positions wiped out over 24 hours as prices surged. Shorts took $767.3M of that, more than four times the $161.4M that hit longs, according to @coinglass_com data. bitcoin:native positions led with $503.2M liquidated, followed by $ETH at $201.7M. In total, 130,256 traders were liquidated.
Open source - CO
Cointelegraph@CointelegraphPost on X 路
馃敟 BULLISH: Bitcoin FOMO hit its highest level since 2024 as BTC neared $87,000, wiping out $648 million in bearish positions while crypto trading volume jumped 39%. https://t.co/LzkC46MBuL
Open source - CO
Cointelegraph@CointelegraphPost on X 路
馃毃 JUST IN: Bitcoin hits $87,000, liquidating $108.8 million in shorts in just one hour. https://t.co/mbGeVUIJJy
Open source