The Bitcoin crash of last week was a brutal one for the market. It saw the digital asset lose its footing from where it had been trending just below $30,000 to crash to the mid $17,000s before a recovery had begun. With the new week, the market had started to emerge into the green. But as bitcoin struggles to hold above $20,000, the question remains what had triggered such a crash. A Short Squeeze The bitcoin open interest in perps had been up over the last couple of weeks. This has continued to be the case through the market crash and the subsequent recovery. However, the open interest levels, mainly the rise and falls, leading up to and during the bitcoin crash have all of the makings of a short squeeze. Related Reading | By The Numbers: The Worst Bitcoin Bear Markets Ever On Wednesday, the open interest in bitcoin perps had eventually peaked at a new all-time high of 335,000 BTC after a week of unpredictable movements. This was when bitcoin had declined below $21,000. As the price of the digital asset had begun its recovery, the open interest in perps had quickly declined. Movements like these are associated with a short squeeze, which was the same in the case. One that preceded another crash during the weekend. Open interest remains elevated | Source: Arcane Research The same was the case over the weekend. The open interest in perps had once again surged, to 325,000 BTC this time, after erratic movement when the ...
