A bloodbath hit the crypto market Monday as Bitcoin tumbled from its lofty perch near $90,000 down to $86,700. The drop marked a two-week low on December 15, 2025, leaving traders scrambling and portfolios bleeding. At time of writing, Bitcoin stood at $86,751, down 2% over the past 24 hours and decisively below the $87,000 threshold.
The carnage wasn’t just in the price. A staggering $210 million in liquidations occurred within a single hour. Ouch. According to Coinglass data, $200 million in long positions got absolutely wiped out. Yeah, those optimistic leverage lovers took it right on the chin. The liquidation storm swept through the crypto market with remarkable speed, primarily targeting traders who’d bet on continued upward momentum. Analysts note these liquidation events triggered rapid sell-offs among traders using leverage.
This brutal sell-off unfolded during initial US trading hours on Monday, extending a weekend slide that had already put traders on edge. Trading volume hit roughly $38 billion as panic spread. The overall crypto market capitalization dropped to $3.15 trillion, down 2.34%, while Bitcoin dominance dipped slightly to 55.08%.
Volatility was the name of the game. The market had been suspiciously calm around $90,000 before this nosedive. Now 24-hour spot volume has surged 59.2% to $50.03 billion. The release of delayed US employment data likely contributed to the market’s sudden negative sentiment shift. Ethereum wasn’t spared either, with ETH dominance falling 0.15% to 11.52%. Many traders failed to implement proper risk management strategies when positioning themselves in the market, exacerbating their losses during the sudden downturn.
The BTCUSD chart tells the painful story—a clear drop to $86,700 on December 15, putting Bitcoin down 4% from its seven-day high. ETH gas sat at 1.09 Gwei while liquidated positions heavily concentrated on longs.
This latest crash highlights the persistent volatility in crypto markets, even as the asset class has matured. The timing couldn’t be more interesting, coming just before a week expected to be highly volatile due to economic data releases. Just another day in crypto, really. One minute you’re planning your yacht purchase, the next you’re checking your resume. Classic Bitcoin.
