The crypto market is in decline, with total market capitalization falling 3% to $3.1 trillion on Feb. 24.

Key factors driving the drop:

• The market is still reeling from the $1.4B Bybit hack.

• Investors are in risk-off mode amid continued capital outflows.

• Stiff resistance is limiting recovery efforts.

Ethereum leads the market slump

The downturn follows the Feb. 21 Bybit hack, the largest-ever crypto heist.

• Ethereum leads losses, down 5% to below $2,700.

• Bitcoin and Solana dropped 0.8% and 9%, respectively.

• XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano fell 4.5%, 6.3%, and 6%.

Mass liquidations worsened the sell-off:

• $268M in crypto liquidations occurred in 24 hours.

• $40.13M in long ETH positions were wiped out, exceeding BTC liquidations.

• 126,620 traders were liquidated, with OKX’s ETH/USDT swap seeing the largest loss at $1.41M.

• A majority of liquidations were longs, showing an overleveraged bullish market.

Despite bearish sentiment, QCP Capital notes that the reaction has been more moderate than the 2022 FTX collapse, showing a maturing market.

Investors continue de-risking from crypto

The correction aligns with institutional capital outflows from digital asset investment products.

• Crypto investment products saw $508M in outflows for the second consecutive week.

• Bitcoin took the hardest hit, losing $571M in investments.

• Year-to-date inflows dropped from $7.4B to $6.6B.

CoinShares’ James Butterfill links this to uncertainty around trade tariffs, inflation, and monetary policy.

Market participants now await the PCE Index report on Feb. 28, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge.

• Higher-than-expected jobless claims (219,000) last week signaled a weakening labor market.

• The probability of Fed rate cuts before July remains low, with 97.5% odds of unchanged rates in March and 73% in May (CME FedWatch Tool).

Crypto market faces big resistance

The current drawdown is part of a correction that began on Jan. 31 when a key support zone flipped to resistance.

• Market capitalization (TOTAL) trades below the $3.28T-$3.31T supply zone.

• The RSI is at 40, signaling a bearish bias.

• Further selling could push TOTAL down to $3.03T, a key support since Nov. 20.

• A break below $3.03T could trigger a sell-off toward the 200-day SMA at $2.72T.

• A bullish reversal could reclaim $3.2T and test upper resistance.

Analyst Crypto Zone notes that the Fear and Greed Index at 40 suggests market neutrality, making it a crucial time for strategic decision-making.

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