Bitcoin Near $80K as 24-Hour Crypto Short Liquidations Top $220M

Bitcoin reclaimed the $80,000 level on Monday, pushing through a key psychological and technical milestone after last week’s sharp rally drew fresh momentum from traders. The breakout marked BTC’s first trade above $80,000 since mid-May, with price up roughly 3% at the time of reporting before easing after the European session.

As the market tested higher levels, activity on leveraged venues also picked up—most notably in short liquidations—underscoring how crowded positions may have been forced to unwind during the advance.

Key takeaways

• BTC/USD moved above $80,000 for the first time since May 15, ending a more than three-month absence from that range.
• CoinGlass data showed crypto short liquidations passed $220 million over the prior 24 hours as Bitcoin approached the $80,000 mark.
• Support appears to be clustering around the mid-$70,000s, with a bid liquidity band centered on $76,700, according to a CoinGlass liquidation heatmap.
• Analyst Rekt Capital said the “real test” will be whether Bitcoin can sustain strength, pointing to the 50-week exponential moving average near $77,251.

Bitcoin breaks back above $80,000 for the first time since May

TradingView charts showed BTC/USD crossing $80,000 for the first time since May 15, reaching the level during the Wall Street open. The move came alongside another roughly 3% gain on the day before pullbacks occurred following the European close, suggesting the market was still digesting the breakout rather than entering immediately into a smooth trend.

This return matters because it represents more than a single price point. Levels around $80,000 have historically functioned as both a reference for market positioning and a threshold traders watch for continuation signals. When Bitcoin re-enters a range it previously failed to hold for months, it can quickly shift expectations for whether the market is simply rebounding or genuinely transitioning to a stronger phase.

Short liquidations surge as leveraged traders unwind

Higher prices drew in additional leverage-related activity. According to CoinGlass, crypto short liquidations exceeded $220 million over the preceding 24 hours at the time of writing. While liquidations can occur in both directions, large short liquidation bursts typically accompany fast upward moves as price rallies force shorts to cover.

CoinGlass also highlighted a liquidation heatmap feature: a band of bid liquidity centered around $76,700. In practical terms, that cluster can act as a near-term “gravity point” during pullbacks—buyers who respond to forced liquidation dynamics may help slow a downside reversal if price falls back toward that zone.

Still, it’s important to remember that liquidation clusters are reactive, not predictive. They can help explain why certain retracements stabilize, but they don’t guarantee that a move back down will be limited or that new support will permanently hold.

The focus shifts from rally to “staying power”

Even with Bitcoin returning to a key higher range, market observers emphasized that sustaining the breakout is the real challenge. Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph had flagged concerns among some traders that bearish market patterns could reassert themselves later in the year, with downside potentially returning from September onward to trigger broader capitulation to new macro lows.

In that context, the latest push above $80,000 looks less like a finish line and more like the opening stage of a longer test. Rekt Capital, a trader and analyst, argued in his market commentary that Bitcoin must prove it can hold those levels. He pointed out that Bitcoin has closed the week at the highs and framed the next phase as a “real test” for whether strength persists.

“Bitcoin has Weekly Closed at the highs. Now starts the real test,”

Rekt Capital also cautioned that if the rally is only a “bear market relief” bounce, Bitcoin could pull back as early as the current week or within the following few weeks. That distinction—relief rally versus durable trend—has major implications for traders and portfolio managers because it changes expectations around volatility, timing of entries, and the likelihood of retesting lower ranges.

Key technical level in view: the 50-week EMA

Rekt Capital highlighted one technical benchmark in particular: the 50-week exponential moving average, currently around $77,251. He noted that Bitcoin achieved its first weekly close above that trend line since November 2025.

He also drew a comparison to the 2022 bear market, when BTC/USD managed two weekly closes above the same type of trend line before subsequently dropping to cycle lows. The point of the comparison isn’t to claim a repeat outcome, but to show how quickly markets can revert when trend-breaking closes occur without sustained follow-through.

For investors watching this level, the near-term question becomes whether price can remain above a widely tracked dynamic benchmark long enough to change market structure. If Bitcoin continues to close above the 50-week EMA and keeps higher levels defended on retracements, it would strengthen the case that the rebound is progressing into something more persistent. If not, the market may revert back toward the mid-$70,000s where liquidation-driven support has begun to form.

Next, traders are likely to monitor whether Bitcoin can hold above $80,000 on subsequent sessions and, more importantly, whether weekly closures continue to support the breakout thesis. The debate between “relief rally” and “sustained strength” will likely hinge on follow-through around the 50-week EMA near $77,251 and how price behaves during pullbacks toward the liquidation liquidity band centered at $76,700.