Bitcoin tumbles under $90K amid ETF sell-off, mounting liquidations

Update Feb. 25, 11:10 am UTC: This article has been updated to include quotes from Nexo analyst Iliya Kalchev.

Bitcoin dropped below the $90,000 mark for the first time since November 2024, raising concerns among analysts about further declines amid ongoing sell-offs in US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to $87,629 on Feb. 25, an over three-month low not seen since Nov. 14, Cointelegraph Markets Pro data shows.

The decline followed another wave of selling in US Bitcoin ETFs, which recorded more than $516 million in net outflows on Feb. 24 alone. The ETFs have now experienced six consecutive days of selling, according to data from Farside Investors.

Bitcoin’s price has fallen by over 6.2% in the six days since the ETFs began their six-day selling spree on Feb. 18.

The Bitcoin ETFs recorded over $1.14 billion worth of cumulative net outflows in the two weeks leading up to Feb. 21, marking the highest two-week period of withdrawals since they began trading on Jan. 11, 2024.

Bitcoin’s recent correction raises concerns over the current Bitcoin rally’s sustainability, according to Iliya Kalchev, dispatch analyst at digital asset investment platform Nexo.

Despite favorable political endorsements for Bitcoin, the crypto market remains “significantly influenced by prevailing macroeconomic factors,” the analyst told Cointelegraph:

“Elevated interest rates and reduced global purchasing power have led to a noticeable decline in both open interest and spot inflows, underscoring the inherent vulnerability of Bitcoin to broader economic pressures.”

The continued ETF sell-off may be primarily attributed to the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China.

US President Donald Trump said he expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the US and added that “it’s possible” for the US and China to broker a new trade deal, but gave no timeline for the potential visit, Reuters reported on Feb. 20.

Related: Strategy buys 20,356 Bitcoin for almost $2B; holdings approach 500K BTC

Bitcoin declines amid $1.3 billion crypto liquidations

Beyond geopolitical events, crypto investor sentiment has taken a hit from internal factors after the industry was rocked by the largest hack in crypto history on Feb. 21, when Bybit lost over $1.4 billion.

The market volatility that followed has led to $1.3 billion in total crypto liquidations over the past 24 hours, affecting 362,000 traders, according to CoinGlass. Bitcoin alone accounted for $523 million in liquidations.

Related: US Bitcoin ETFs lose $1.14B in two weeks amid US-China trade tensions

While Bitcoin’s decline caused concern among some investors, similar corrections have been part of the organic flow of the crypto market cycle.

The current correction resembles the 2017 market structure when Bitcoin experienced a 28% correction five times, each lasting two to three months, wrote Raoul Pal, founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor, in a Feb. 25 X post.

Magazine: BTC above $150K is ‘speculative fever,’ SAB 121 canceled, and more: Hodlers Digest, Jan. 19 – 25