Liquidation crypto: $19.16 billion worth of assets wiped out in a single day, a new all-time record

Rugman_Walking · 2026-01-13T08:32:33+00:00

On October 10, cryptocurrency markets faced a historic liquidation event, with $19.16 billion in assets wiped out amidst escalating US-China trade tensions, far surpassing previous records. This turmoil raises concerns about market stability and the impact of macroeconomic factors on cryptocurrencies.

Rugman_Walking

2026-01-13 08:32:33

Abstract generation in progress

Cryptocurrency markets experienced a violent surge on October 10th. Coinglass data reveals an unprecedented liquidation spike: $19.16 billion worth of assets were liquidated in a single day. This financial tsunami shatters all previous records, propelling this event far beyond the worst nightmares of traders in 2021.

To put the scale of the disaster into perspective: the massive liquidations in April and May 2021 ( at $9.94 billion and $9.01 billion respectively ) seem trivial by comparison. We are talking about an almost doubling of the volume of previous collapses.

The real cause: trade tension between Washington and Beijing

The timing is no coincidence. This record liquidation coincides with escalating tariff tensions between the United States and China. The new American protectionist measures have created an electroshock in the markets, triggering a chain cascade of liquidations. Panicked investors massively fled, forcing leveraged positions to be liquidated and amplifying the downward spiral.

What this means for traders and the crypto ecosystem

An event of this magnitude questions the perceived stability of the market. Massive leveraged positions have been wiped out, turning October 10th into a black day for anyone betting on holding their positions. The incident illustrates how external macroeconomic movements can ravage cryptocurrencies within hours, regardless of the industry’s fundamentals.

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