BTC surged straight from 64000, breaking through 72000, 73000, and 75000. It rose over 10,000 USD in two days.
76400. A new three-month high.
In 24 hours, $3.3 billion liquidations occurred, with shorts accounting for $3.07 billion. Nearly 200,000 people were wiped out in one wave. The largest liquidation wave since 2021.
Whose money is fueling this rally?
First type of money: $3 billion — forced liquidation of short positions.
This is the gunpowder.
In the past six weeks, Bitcoin traded sideways between 62000 and 66900. Perpetual contract funding rates were persistently negative, with shorts leveraging to the extreme.
When the price broke key resistance levels, shorts triggered forced liquidations. Short liquidations require buying Bitcoin in the market, and this passive buying further pushed the price up, triggering the next batch of liquidations.
A stampede short squeeze.
But the problem is — the short squeeze is the trigger, not the ammunition.
Of the $3 billion shorts liquidated, only $260 million of longs were liquidated — an 11 to 1 ratio. What does this mean? This rally is almost entirely shorts being forced to buy, not longs actively going long.
The characteristic of a short squeeze rally is: it comes fast and goes fast.
Once the shorts are fully cleared, who will be the one to take the next position?
Second type of money: $517 million — ETF net inflows.
On August 19, the US Bitcoin spot ETF had a single-day net inflow of $517 million, the highest since May 4. BlackRock's IBIT alone accounted for $285 million. The Ethereum ETF had a net inflow of $189 million the same day. Totaling $706 million.
Net inflows for three consecutive days.
This is not short-term speculative capital. This is institutions building positions with real money.
But $517 million vs. $3 billion — a difference of an order of magnitude.
ETF money flows in slowly, while the $3 billion short squeeze hits within an hour.
Can slow money sustain the heights pushed by fast money?
Third type of money: $2.75 billion — whales quietly accumulating over 60 days.
This is the easiest signal to overlook.
In the past 60 days, large holders have net increased about 43,000 BTC, worth $2.75 billion, ending months of prior selling.
These whales bought steadily as Bitcoin dropped near 60,000.
They are not chasing highs. They are bottom fishing.
But $2.75 billion is the total over 60 days, averaging less than $50 million per day. Compared to the $3 billion short squeeze, this is also slow money.
$BTC$ETH$SOL#BTC加速拉升,资金还能继续接力吗?
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