Bitcoin suffered a sharp selloff on Tuesday, touching $61,322 intraday — its lowest level since February 6. The violent move caught markets off guard and triggered a wave of massive liquidations.
Within hours, BTC had erased the entire premium built up during the period of Middle East tensions. A powerful signal that brings a fundamental question back to the fore: is Bitcoin truly a safe-haven asset, or does it remain a risk asset like any other?
On-chain data and technical levels offer clear answers — and they are worth reading carefully.
$1.1 Billion Liquidated: The Market Takes a Hit
The drop was swift and brutal. In less than 24 hours, over $1.1 billion worth of leveraged crypto positions were liquidated, according to data shared by The Kobeissi Letter. BTC briefly broke below $63,000 for the first time since February 24, before bouncing back to around $63,300 by end of day.
What stands out about this move is its systemic nature. The correction was not limited to Bitcoin — it swept across the entire crypto market, confirming a strong correlation with traditional risk assets. BTC sold off alongside equities as geopolitical tensions flared, then rebounded with them. This is the behavior of a speculative asset, not a safe haven.
The break below the Short-Term Holder Realized Price — the average acquisition cost of recent buyers — is a significant technical signal. Historically, this level acts as a pivot between bullish continuation and a deeper mean reversion. A confirmed breakdown below it opens the door to a test of $58,000 if no solid support forms quickly.
Critical Support Zone: What the Technical Levels Reveal
BTC is currently trading within its key support zone between $60,000 and $65,000. The 20-day moving average was broken to the downside during the flush — a classic signal of short-term technical deterioration. The price structure remains damaged, but not yet broken beyond repair.
Three scenarios are taking shape depending on how the next few days play out:
- Bullish scenario: BTC holds the $61,000–$62,000 zone, funding rates flip negative and short-term holders stabilize → potential rebound toward $68,000.
- Neutral scenario: absence of a macro catalyst → consolidation between $62,000 and $65,000 while markets await US jobs data or a signal from the Fed.
- Bearish scenario: daily close below $61,000 → second flush toward $58,000, the average cost basis of long-term holders.
On the spot ETF front, the institutional flows that had fueled aggressive accumulation in early 2026 have shifted into bidirectional territory. Several consecutive days of net outflows have broken what had until now been a one-directional buying dynamic. This institutional reversal adds further pressure on the short-term market structure.
The “Digital Gold” Thesis Put to the Test Again
This selloff revives a question the market often prefers to sidestep: can Bitcoin genuinely act as a safe-haven asset during periods of geopolitical stress? Tuesday’s answer was unambiguous. BTC did not absorb the tension — it amplified it, behaving like a high-beta asset rather than an uncorrelated store of value.
The geopolitical premium accumulated over three months was entirely wiped out within hours. This is not the first time this scenario has played out, and on-chain data from CryptoQuant confirms that short-term holder behavior remains jittery, with weak hands capitulating during the flush below $63,000. According to Standard Chartered, which predicts Ethereum could outperform Bitcoin, institutional flow dynamics could accelerate this move further.
The upcoming release of US jobs data and speeches from Fed officials will serve as the next directional catalysts. In the meantime, the market remains in wait-and-see mode — and volatility is showing no signs of taking a break.
