Crypto Shorts Lose $2.74B in 24 Hours in Record Squeeze

Crypto short positions worth $2.74B were liquidated over 24 hours as of August 20, 2026. The reading points to an intense forced unwind of bearish leveraged positions after the previous day’s rally, when $1.44 billion in short liquidations was reported for August 19. The two figures are stated over different periods, however, and do not on their own establish a like-for-like day-to-day trend.

Data Snapshot

MetricCurrentPreviousChangePeriodAs ofSourceShort positions liquidated$2.74B——24 hoursAugust 20, 2026CoinGlassShort positions liquidated$1.44 billion——August 19, 2026August 19, 2026KuCoinBitcoin price$68,424.00—5.54%August 19, 2026August 19, 2026KuCoinEthereum price$2,087.87—8.8%August 19, 2026August 19, 2026KuCoinTotal crypto liquidations$2.99 billion——late August 19, 2026August 19, 2026Crypto News Flash

$2.74B in short liquidations follows August 19’s $1.44 billion reading

Short liquidations occur when traders who have borrowed or used derivatives to bet on lower prices are forcibly closed out after prices rise beyond an exchange’s margin requirements. Such closures can add buying pressure to a rising market, intensifying a short squeeze.

The $2.74B 24-hour figure is therefore a measure of the scale of forced closures, rather than a direct measure of spot-market demand or a prediction of where prices go next. It also should not be treated as evidence that every part of the broader crypto market moved for the same reason.

For context, KuCoin reported $1.44 billion in short liquidations on August 19, citing CoinGlass-sourced data. The current snapshot is specifically short positions liquidated over 24 hours, while the August 19 figure is reported for that date.

Bitcoin and Ethereum gains coincided with the forced-short unwind

Bitcoin was priced at $68,424.00 on August 19, 2026, up 5.54%, while Ethereum was at $2,087.87, up 8.8%, according to KuCoin. Bitcoin briefly approached $69,000, Ethereum reclaimed $2,000 and Solana rose approximately 6.4%.

The same report attributed the rally to U.S. Treasury bond buyback plans, Bitcoin ETF inflows, positive regulatory signals and forced short closures. Those reported factors provide context for the price move, but liquidation totals alone cannot isolate the contribution of any one catalyst.

Separately, total crypto liquidations reached $2.99 billion late on August 19, 2026, according to Crypto News Flash. That broader measure includes more than the short-only amount cited in the current 24-hour snapshot, so the metrics should not be conflated.

Historical liquidation data does not establish a record event

The $2.74B reading is substantial, but the available benchmarks do not support describing it as a record crypto liquidation event. During a June 8, 2026 rebound, crypto liquidations reached roughly $655 million and affected more than 104,000 traders, CoinDesk reported.

More importantly, WisdomTree listed the largest historical crypto liquidation event as $19.2 billion on October 10, 2025, in its February 2026 crypto monthly report. That historical figure concerns total crypto liquidations, rather than the supplied 24-hour short-only metric, but it makes clear that the latest figure cannot be presented as the largest liquidation event on the evidence available.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.