- Bitcoin fell 3.4% over the weekend as investors cut risk amid geopolitical tensions and slower Chinese growth.
- Leveraged long liquidations totaled about $215 million after a retest of the $92,000 level.
- BTC futures annualized premium held near 5%, showing leverage demand remained despite the failed $98,000 breakout.
- Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $395 million in outflows while Gold reached new highs, weakening BTC’s hedge appeal.
- Options market skew and falling network activity signaled diminished bullish confidence and reduced blockchain demand.
Bitcoin dropped 3.4% over the weekend as traders reduced risk amid rising geopolitical tensions and reports that China posted 4.5% GDP growth in Q4 2025. Markets reacted after a failed push toward $98,000 and a forced liquidation of roughly $215 million in leveraged BTC futures longs during a retest of the $92,000 level. Charts and price data referenced from TradingView show the move occurred alongside weaker Nasdaq futures.
Derivatives metrics and flows signaled cooling interest from professional traders. The annualized BTC futures premium stayed near a neutral-to-bearish 5%, according to data from laevitas.ch, suggesting leverage demand did not collapse after the breakout attempt. Meanwhile, spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced about $395 million in net outflows on Friday.
Options markets priced more downside protection as the 30-day delta skew at Deribit jumped to 8%, with put options trading at a premium per laevitas.ch data. Traders demanded higher premiums for downside hedges, and sentiment among large holders weakened after the price dip below $98,000 and brief touch of $92,000.
Macro shifts also influenced risk appetite. Europe/trumps-europe-tariff-threat-over-greenland-revives-talk-sell-america-trade-2026-01-19/”>George Saravelos of Deutsche Bank noted that European holdings of U.S. assets total about $8 trillion, and he warned this could affect support for the dollar if alliances fray. Separate reporting reported China’s growth slowdown and potential policy shifts.
On-chain activity fell as daily active Bitcoin addresses dropped to about 370,800, down 13% from two weeks earlier per Nansen, raising concerns for miner revenue that depends on transaction fees plus the fixed block reward.
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
Previous Articles:
- Burwick Law seeks sanctions, compliance monitor for Pump Fun
- Bermuda to launch nation-wide on-chain economy with USDC now
- DeFi urged to hard-code ‘spec is law.’ with invariant checks
- Pudgy Penguins to apologise after racist X post sparks a row
- Revolut Applies for Peru’s Banking License, Eyes Remittances
