Bitcoin Slides to Nine-Month Low as $2.5B in Longs Wiped Out Across Crypto

31. Jan 2026 Posted by Laurent C. on News

Crypto markets deepened their selloff on Saturday, pushing major digital assets to multi-month lows as forced liquidations piled up and investors continued rotating away from risk.

Bitcoin fell roughly 8% over the past 24 hours to around $77,195, its weakest level in nine months. The decline extended the asset’s weekly loss to more than 13% and left Bitcoin down nearly 40% from its October peak above $126,000.

Ethereum saw even heavier pressure. The second-largest cryptocurrency dropped about 13% on the day to near $2,362 and is now down roughly 20% over the past week. From its August high just under $5,000, Ether has shed more than half of its value.

Losses were widespread across the altcoin market. XRP slid 10% to $1.58, Solana sank 14% to roughly $101, and Dogecoin fell 13% to about $0.101. Overall, the total crypto market declined around 7.5% in the last 24 hours.

Derivatives traders bore the brunt of the move. Data from CoinGlass shows approximately $2.53 billion in liquidations over the past day, with long positions accounting for about $2.41 billion—highlighting how aggressively traders were positioned for higher prices. Ethereum-linked products led the damage with $1.14 billion liquidated, followed by Bitcoin at roughly $765 million.

The downturn capped a volatile week for global markets. Concerns over U.S. fiscal stability intensified after a partial government shutdown began early Saturday, while unease around stretched valuations in AI-related investments further weighed on sentiment.

Investor retrenchment was also visible in exchange-traded funds. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $1.5 billion in net outflows over the past week, while Ethereum ETFs saw about $327 million exit, signaling reduced appetite for crypto exposure.

In contrast, traditional safe havens briefly benefited from the risk-off mood, with gold and silver touching fresh record highs earlier in the week—though both metals reversed sharply on Friday, underscoring the broader market instability.