Over $3b in crypto longs at risk as Bitcoin and Ethereum hover near key levels

Over $3b in leveraged Bitcoin and Ethereum longs sit just above key support levels, with Coinglass data showing a liquidation cascade risk in either direction.

Leveraged long positions across Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are sitting on a knife’s edge, with more than $3 billion in combined exposure at risk of forced liquidation if prices slip to critical support levels, according to data published by Coinglass on March 20.

For Bitcoin, the figures are stark. If BTC falls below $66,827, the cumulative long liquidation intensity across major centralized exchanges would reach $1.878 billion. That would represent one of the more significant cascading liquidation events in recent months, as stop-losses and margin calls trigger a wave of automatic selling that could further accelerate any downward move. On the upside, a break above $73,757 would flip the pressure onto short sellers, with $1.062 billion in short positions vulnerable to a squeeze.

Ethereum presents a similarly precarious picture. A drop below $2,029 would trigger $1.204 billion in long liquidations on mainstream CEXs, while a rally above $2,240 would put $881 million in short positions at risk of being unwound.

The data arrives at a sensitive moment for both assets. Bitcoin has been trading in a narrow range around $69,700 following a recent dip that attracted bearish interest. Notably, open interest data tracked by Coinglass showed that during yesterday’s price decline, BTC’s open interest actually increased as prices fell — a sign that short sellers were actively adding positions rather than covering. The subsequent rebound has done little to change the OI picture, suggesting the recovery lacks conviction from new buyers and that the market remains range-bound rather than in the early stages of a trend reversal.

Ethereum has likewise struggled to find direction, hovering near $2,130 with traders watching the $2,029 floor closely. With ETH already under moderate selling pressure on the day, the proximity to that liquidation threshold is not lost on market participants.

Liquidation maps of this kind serve as a window into the market’s structural vulnerabilities. When large clusters of leveraged longs accumulate just above key support levels, they can create a self-reinforcing dynamic: a price drop triggers liquidations, which push prices lower still, triggering more liquidations in turn. This “liquidation cascade” effect has been behind some of crypto’s most violent short-term price dislocations.

For traders navigating the current environment, the message from the data is clear: the market is coiled tightly around these levels, and a decisive move in either direction could trigger outsized volatility. With macro headwinds persisting — including rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a risk-off mood in traditional equity markets, where the Nasdaq fell 0.88% in pre-market trading — the path of least resistance for crypto in the near term remains highly uncertain.