5 Reasons Why the Crypto Market Is Crashing This Week

The cryptocurrency market has dropped sharply, losing about $162 billion in the past 24 hours, driven by leveraged trades, profit-taking, and uncertainty in the economy. Bitcoin slipped below the $110K mark, while Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin each fell by nearly 5%, reflecting growing pressure across the market.

Here are the five main reasons behind this sudden crypto market crash.

BTC & ETH ETF Saw $1.27 B In Outflows

After a multi-week streak of positive inflows, this week, both Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw $1.27 billion in outflows. Analysts say this sudden rotation, possibly triggered by institutional portfolio rebalancing and uncertainty about macroeconomic and regulatory direction, sparked wider selling across spot and derivatives markets.

$23 Billion Options Expiry Today

On September 26, nearly $22.3 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum options contracts expired, heightening volatility as traders closed positions en masse. 

Analysts explain that prices are frequently pushed toward a “max pain” level, $110,000 for Bitcoin and $3,800 for Ethereum, by large investors. This strategy can create sudden drops, causing panic among smaller traders.

Strong Economic Data Adds Pressure

Stronger-than-expected GDP growth data for Q2 showed 3.8%, higher than the expected 3.3%. While strong economic data is good news for the long-term economy, it can be bearish for crypto in the short term. 

Higher growth reduces the likelihood of interest rate cuts, which some investors had hoped would support risk assets like cryptocurrencies.

Ethereum Leads $1.7 Billion Liquidations

Strong economic data has shaken crypto traders confidence, triggering $1.7 billion in liquidations as assets like Bitcoin fell below the key $110K support level. In the past 24 hours alone, 402,000 traders were liquidated, the largest wipeout since March. Ethereum led the decline, accounting for losses of over $427 million.

U.S. Government Shutdown Fears

The U.S. government could shut down on October 1 if Congress doesn’t approve a budget. During a shutdown, many federal operations stop until an agreement is reached.

In the past, shutdowns often caused sharp drops in stocks and crypto, as investors sold risky assets. This year, experts say there’s about a 67% chance of a shutdown, making traders cautious.