Bitcoin falls below $81,000 as crypto long liquidations surge
Bitcoin slipped below $81,000 on Oct. 8 as rising geopolitical tensions and higher oil prices coincided with hundreds of millions of dollars in liquidated crypto positions.
Bitcoin fell beneath $81,000 on Oct. 8, triggering an immediate cascade of derivative liquidations across major exchanges. Multiple market trackers reported that over $400 million was flushed within an hour. Watcher.Guru reported $450 million liquidated from the crypto market in 60 minutes, while The Kobeissi Letter and Coin Bureau placed the one-hour tally of liquidated long positions at over $400 million. Cointelegraph reported $488.9 million in total liquidations over the hour, with an accompanying data heatmap detailing $170.41 million in liquidated Ethereum positions and $101.70 million in Bitcoin positions.[1][5][10][2]
The sell-off occurred as oil prices rallied on reports that military confrontation between the United States and Iran could return, sending Bitcoin toward a three-week low, according to Cointelegraph. Liquidations accumulated rapidly throughout the day. Kalshi Crypto reported that $700 million in crypto longs were wiped out over a 12-hour window. Market commentator That Martini Guy reported $778 million in long liquidations over 24 hours, noting $719 million occurred over 12 hours and $534 million over four hours.[7][6][9]
The drop pressured the wider digital asset market. Crypto Briefing reported Bitcoin down nearly 3% over 24 hours, with an image breakdown showing $395.34 million in longs and $26.25 million in shorts liquidated. That Martini Guy reported Bitcoin extended its weekly loss to 6%, while Ethereum and Solana lost 5% and 6% on the day, respectively. A CoinGecko heatmap reflected broad declines, showing Bitcoin down 2.56%, Ethereum down 4.49%, Solana down 6.38%, and BNB down 4.31%.[3][11][8][4]
Key facts
- Bitcoin dropped below $81,000 on Oct. 8, 2026, nearing a three-week low.
- Market trackers reported between $395 million and $488.9 million in crypto liquidations within an hour of the drop.
- A Cointelegraph chart detailed one-hour liquidations of $170.41 million for Ethereum and $101.70 million for Bitcoin.
- Kalshi Crypto and That Martini Guy reported multi-hour long liquidations exceeding $700 million, reaching up to $778 million over 24 hours.
- Cointelegraph reported that oil prices gained alongside the crypto decline amid concerns over potential military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.
- Major altcoins fell sharply alongside Bitcoin, with CoinGecko recording daily drops of 4.49% for Ethereum, 6.38% for Solana, and 4.31% for BNB.
Sources · 10 sources
- WG
Watcher.Guru@WatcherGuruPost on X ·
JUST IN: Bitcoin $BTC falls under $81,000 $450,000,000 now liquidated from the crypto market in the past 60 minutes. https://t.co/DLpHq4FgQY
Open source - CO
Cointelegraph@CointelegraphPost on X ·
🚨 ALERT: Bitcoin $BTC falls below $81,000. $488.9 million liquidated from the crypto market in the past hour. https://t.co/wfytIKk032
Open source - CB
Crypto Briefing@Crypto_BriefingPost on X ·
📉 JUST IN: Bitcoin bitcoin:native drops to $81,000, falling nearly 3% over the past 24 hours. The move has sparked more than $395M in long liquidations over the past hour. https://t.co/uFb3wiofGv
Open source - C®
CryptoSavingExpert ®@CryptoSavingExpPost on X ·
🚨 BITCOIN JUST DROPPED BELOW $81,000. https://t.co/OLoyor4Tx4
Open source - TK
The Kobeissi Letter@KobeissiLetterPost on X ·
BREAKING: Bitcoin falls below $81,000 as over $400 million worth of levered longs are liquidated in 60 minutes. https://t.co/PruP57sT0u
Open source - KC
Kalshi Crypto@Kalshi_CryptoPost on X ·
BREAKING: Bitcoin bitcoin:native drops below $81,000 as $700M in crypto longs are liquidated in the past 12 hours https://t.co/oa2k7O47uW
Open source - CT
Coin TelegraphArticle ·
Bitcoin nears 3-week low as oil heads higher on Iran strike woes Bitcoin dipped below $81,000 and oil prices gained after reports that military confrontation between the US and Iran could return.
Open source - CO
- TM
That Martini Guy ₿@MartiniGuyYTPost on X ·
Bitcoin just caused a huge amount of long liquidations $778 million in the past 24 hours $719 million in the past 12 hours $534 million in the past 4 hours Bitcoin dropped below $81,000, extending its daily loss to almost 3% https://t.co/5eQ9JVDfwK
Open source - CB
Coin Bureau@coinbureauPost on X ·
🚨ALERT: Bitcoin breaks below $81,000. Over $400 MILLION in long positions liquidated in the past hour alone.
Open source - TM
That Martini Guy ₿@MartiniGuyYTPost on X ·
The market just got slammed Bitcoin dropped below $81,000, extending its weekly loss to 6% Ethereum is down 5% on the day and 10% for the week Solana is down 6% on the day and 11% for the week A big flush is happening right now https://t.co/0IgpW7oQvg
Open source