Crypto hit with $1.8B in liquidations – October repeat or healthy reset?

January is wrapping up with a reality check for 2026. After eight weeks of sideways chop, a 7% drawdown abruptly flipped sentiment, wiping billions from TOTAL market cap and snapping conditions back into risk-off.

Breaking it down, in less than 48 hours, the crypto market has shed roughly $200 billion, triggering 2026’s largest liquidation cascade so far, totaling around $1.8 billion, with 95% of liquidations coming from longs.

However, it wasn’t just the crypto market feeling the pain. The entire U.S. market got hit, with over $5 trillion wiped out across metals, crypto, and equities, in what analysts are calling a “once-in-a-decade” shakeup.

According to AMBCrypto, this divergence is important. 

Flashback to October: After seven straight weeks of downside, the total crypto market lost $1 trillion in market cap. Over the same period, Gold (XAU) climbed 7%, finishing Q4 up 12%, while crypto dropped 23.8%.

During that cycle, speculation around Strategy’s [MSTR] exclusion from the MSCI index triggered a crypto-led flash crash. Fast forward to today, and it’s not just crypto bleeding. Instead, the entire U.S. market is taking a hit.

Naturally, the question now is: Was this just a “coincidence,” or a “coordinated” dip designed to shake out weak hands? Looking at the macro setup, the market-wide flush doesn’t read like random selling.

Crypto slides despite a bullish macro backdrop

A sudden, coordinated swing hit, aligned with a strong macro setup. Zooming out, the market had been building toward a storm of catalysts. First, the crypto market structure bill was passed, setting a regulatory baseline. 

That was followed by the reversal of the government shutdown, removing a major source of uncertainty. However, the spotlight soon shifted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick for the next Federal Reserve Chair.

For context, in a video interaction, President Trump timelined the “much-anticipated” event, and the odds of Kevin Warsh being chosen immediately jumped to 83% on Polymarket, keeping traders on edge.

Taken together, these developments created a bullish macro backdrop.

And yet, the crypto market still took a hit. Lately, pullbacks like this, even with solid macro support, have often been seen as market maneuvers, where prices are dumped to shake out weak hands or set up dip buyers.

Now, that’s where the “coordinated” liquidation event comes into play. 

With over $5 trillion wiped out across the U.S. market, diverging from the earlier crypto-led breakdown, it’s clear that selling pressure isn’t isolated. Instead, risk sentiment is cracking across multiple asset classes.

That context makes the $200 billion wiped from crypto look less organic and more like an engineered flush, aimed at forcing liquidations and shaking out positioning rather than reflecting a shift in fundamentals.

Final Thoughts

• The $200 billion crypto drawdown happened alongside a $5 trillion market-wide wipeout, signaling a broader macro-driven risk reset.
• With a bullish macro backdrop, the move reads more like a forced flush to shake out positioning than a genuine shift in fundamentals.