Bitcoin Price Nears $80K Amid $1.7 Billion in Crypto Liquidations: Is a Further Drop Imminent?
By Shaurya Malwa | Published November 21, 2025
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) has continued its sharp decline, slipping below the $85,000 mark—the lowest level seen since April 2025—and edging dangerously close to the $80,000 threshold. This downturn marks the worst monthly performance for Bitcoin since the crypto winter of 2022, raising concerns among investors and traders alike.
Sharp Decline in Bitcoin and Major Cryptocurrencies
After briefly touching a low of roughly $81,600, Bitcoin stabilized near $84,000 but erased all of its year-to-date gains. This slide puts the cryptocurrency back to price levels last witnessed before the January 2025 ETF-driven rally.
Alongside Bitcoin, other leading cryptocurrencies have experienced significant losses. Ether (ETH) fell below $2,750, marking a nearly 14% drop within the past week. Solana (SOL) declined by over 10% in just 24 hours. Ripple (XRP), Binance Coin (BNB), and Cardano (ADA) also suffered losses ranging between 8% and 15%. Overall, major tokens have retraced between 20% and 35% from their November highs, with smaller-cap altcoins facing even steeper declines.
Massive Liquidations Shake the Market
This sell-off coincides with a surge in liquidations totaling almost $2 billion over the last 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data. Bitcoin alone accounted for approximately $964 million in liquidations, followed by Ether at $407 million. A wave of forced position unwinds hit broader altcoin markets as well.
Around 396,000 traders were liquidated during this period. The largest single wipeout was a $36.7 million Bitcoin position liquidated on the Hyperliquid exchange.
External Factors Adding Pressure
The gloomy picture in crypto markets is mirrored in traditional global financial markets. Share indices across the world have endured their worst week in seven months. Investor sentiment is weighed down by growing skepticism over AI-driven valuation models and uncertainty surrounding potential rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve in December.
The MSCI All Country World Index has dropped over 3% this week. U.S. tech stocks remain under pressure, while Treasuries have gained traction—a classic flight-to-safety move reflecting risk aversion.
Worsening Crypto-Specific Market Dynamics
Crypto markets themselves continue to suffer from negative trends. U.S.-listed Bitcoin ETFs saw more than $900 million in net outflows on Thursday alone—one of the biggest single-day withdrawals since their early 2024 debut. Meanwhile, open interest in perpetual futures contracts has fallen by 35% since peaking near $94 billion in October, indicating reduced liquidity and diminished market participation.
Retail investor sentiment has deteriorated sharply, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index plummeting to 11 as of Monday. This reading signals “extreme fear” among market participants and is the lowest since late 2022. Historically, such low sentiment readings can precede significant market recoveries, but with price levels breaking months-long support and institutional flows reversing, the market action of late suggests persistent weakness.
What Lies Ahead?
The key technical support around $80,000 for Bitcoin is under threat as liquidations continue and volatility remains elevated. Traders and investors are now closely watching whether BTC will drop below $80K in the near term, potentially exacerbating losses and triggering further forced selling.
Meanwhile, ongoing challenges such as global economic uncertainties, shrinking liquidity, and deteriorating retail and institutional sentiment suggest that the road to stabilization may be prolonged.
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