Bitcoin Traders Defend $62,000 Support as $171M Liquidation Wave Hits Top Crypto

Market Capitalization and Support Levels

Bitcoin reversed course Tuesday, shedding roughly $2,500 in 24 hours amid a broader cryptocurrency sell-off that wiped nearly 3% off the market’s aggregate capitalization. According to market data, the premier cryptocurrency traded below $64,500 shortly after midday on June 22, then slumped to an intraday low of $61,860 before staging a minor rebound to just under $62,500.

Despite subsequent volatility, bitcoin found firm support just above $62,000 but repeatedly stalled whenever it tested the $62,500 resistance level. At the time of writing (2:21 a.m. EST), bitcoin was trading just under $62,300—a 3.6% decline over 24 hours. The daily slide dragged bitcoin’s total market cap down to $1.25 trillion, down from its Monday peak of $1.3 trillion.

The downturn triggered $171 million in total crypto liquidations, with long bets accounting for $158 million of the losses. Coinglass data revealed that 11,202 traders worldwide were liquidated during the 24-hour rout, with the largest single liquidation valued at $7.06 million.

The crypto slump mirrored a broader sell-off across global equity markets, where several major indices posted steep losses. South Korea’s Kospi led the decline, plunging nearly 10% and triggering a trading halt amid a sharp pullback in tech stocks. Analysts largely attributed the souring investor sentiment to a narrowing path for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

However, Mike McCluskey, co-founder of Tx, argues the Fed’s trajectory is only half the story. Instead, he points to telling signals within the options market and spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows.

“We are witnessing a record 30-day net outflow exceeding $6 billion across the spot Bitcoin ETF complex,” McCluskey said. “This isn’t a momentary dip, but rather a sustained period of institutional de-risking from the very cohort that has driven much of this cycle’s momentum. Until this flow data demonstrates a definitive reversal, any relief rallies are likely to find a hard ceiling, regardless of intraday volatility in the spot market.”

McCluskey added that the upcoming June 26 options expiry on Deribit introduces further complexity, with roughly $10.6 billion in notional value on the line. The concentration of open interest paints a clear picture: nearly 80% is currently out of the money, anchored by heavy positioning at the $60,000 put and $80,000 call strikes.

“While ‘max pain’ sits near $74,000, I’m skeptical of its ability to pull price action higher,” McCluskey said. “Instead, these levels serve as a barometer for how overextended positioning has become. The $60,000 mark represents a very real technical and psychological threshold that has already faced interrogation this month.”