Ethereum Whale Loses $22 Million as Crypto Liquidations Hit $1 Billion

As a seasoned crypto investor with battle scars from multiple market cycles, I can’t help but feel a mix of empathy and resignation upon witnessing the recent carnage in the cryptocurrency market. The sight of Ethereum whales being swept away by the tide is a stark reminder that even the mightiest can be brought low by the capricious sea of crypto prices.


Lately, the value of cryptocurrencies has plummeted sharply, causing substantial financial damage to numerous investors. Even a major Ethereum investor, known as a “whale,” suffered losses amounting to millions of dollars on a single transaction.

On Monday morning, it was observed that a significant Ethereum (ETH) holder, referred to as “0xac4e…7597f”, who had accumulated ETH through perpetual contracts, experienced a forced sale of around 7,467.5 ETH worth roughly $22.3 million, due to actions taken by the security firm PeckShield.

What Happened in the Crypto Market?

In simple terms, the cryptocurrency market is known for its extreme price fluctuations. Just recently, there was a significant drop, with Bitcoin (BTC) decreasing by approximately 16%, landing at around $50,691 on August 5. Similarly, Ethereum experienced a more substantial decline of about 23.65%, falling to $2,226.

Unexpected drop in value triggered a mass selling spree among investors, who hastily sold their assets to safeguard against possible losses. This panic selling set off a series of events that deepened the market’s downturn.

Consequently, numerous leveraged trades were swiftly liquidated, leaving traders amazed and speechless as they observed their holdings disappear. Notably, one large Ethereum investor suffered a loss of approximately $22 million from a single transaction.

As an analyst, I’ve just uncovered a concerning development: A wallet identified as “0x0b5a…d8c5” has experienced a liquidation event worth approximately $6 million in Ether, according to PeckShield. Furthermore, two other Ethereum ‘whales’ reported losses of around $5.8 million and $7.38 million respectively, as per the same source. This indicates significant financial impact on these high-value wallets within the Ethereum ecosystem.

In simpler terms, all the closed trades (liquidated positions) were owned by investors who anticipated good returns from the price fluctuations of the second-largest cryptocurrency and placed long bets.

Wider Market Collapse

As a researcher, I’ve observed that recent market turbulence has resulted in significant losses for digital assets, with over $1 billion in liquidations across multiple exchanges. According to data from CoinGlass, within the last 24 hours, approximately 270,259 traders who held both long and short leveraged positions on various cryptocurrencies collectively experienced a loss of $1.04 billion.

Over this timeframe, approximately $340 million worth of Ethereum was forcedly sold by traders due to market conditions, with long traders taking the majority of the losses at around $295 million. In contrast, short traders experienced minimal losses estimated at about $44 million.

For Bitcoin traders, the collective investment loss was substantial at about $346.39 million. The majority of these losses, approximately $298 million, were suffered by long traders. Short sellers experienced losses as well, amounting to roughly $49 million.

Where the Liquidations Occurred

Major liquidations predominantly took place on platforms such as Binance, Huobi, Bybit, BitMEX, and OKX. The biggest individual liquidation order was executed on Huobi through the BTC/USD market, estimated to be approximately $27 million in value.

Over the past weekend, it appears that cryptocurrency traders on Binance suffered a setback to the tune of about $405 million as market bears dominated the bulls. A similar scenario unfolded at OKX, where losses reached around $315 million, and HTX traders experienced approximately $146 million in losses.

As a crypto investor, I’ve noticed that even with robust security measures in place, centralized exchanges like Bybit and BitMEX have been under the tight control of the bears, leading to significant losses. Specifically, Bybit suffered a setback of approximately $87 million, while BitMEX experienced a loss of around $40 million. These events serve as a stark reminder of the volatile nature of the crypto market.

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2024-08-05 11:18