On Friday, November 13, 2026, the world's largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, dropped below the psychologically important $70,000 mark for the first time since late August. During trading, the digital asset lost 5.4%, sliding to $67,628, the lowest level since August 19–20. The decline followed negative momentum from Thursday, when Bitcoin lost another 3.8% of its value. In total, the price fell by approximately 9% over the two trading days. By 7:30 AM London time, the cryptocurrency had partially recovered, trading near $69,000, though the overall market sentiment remains sharply negative.
Wave of Forced Liquidations Amplifies Sell-Off
A key mechanical factor behind the collapse was the mass forced closure of leveraged positions. According to data from CoinGlass, approximately $1.5 billion in long positions were liquidated in the cryptocurrency market within 24 hours. AQC Tech market maker derivatives trader Sean McNulty noted that after breaking the $70,000 level, over $1 billion in leveraged long positions were forcibly closed, creating additional downward pressure on prices. Early estimates from Coinglass indicate that over 125,000 traders had their positions closed in one day; the highest liquidation volume was recorded on the Hyperliquid platform at approximately $318 million. The second-largest asset by capitalization also faced pressure, with Ethereum losing 6% during trading, falling below $2,000 again.
US Inflation and Fed Rate Hike Expectations
The primary macroeconomic trigger for the sell-off was the US inflation data released this week. According to Bloomberg, the core Consumer Price Index (CPI), which excludes food and energy, rose by 0.3% month-over-month—the third consecutive month the figure has exceeded analyst forecasts. Headline CPI inflation was 0.4%, with prices for essential goods and services rising. High oil prices and steady growth in consumer prices have reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue its interest rate hiking cycle. BTSE crypto exchange COO Jeff Mei warned that if the Fed raises rates by 50 basis points instead of the expected 25, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may continue to decline.
Institutional Outflows and Regulatory Expectations
An additional factor exerting pressure on the crypto market has been the reduction in institutional investment inflows. Since October 30, net outflows from US-registered spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (spot BTC ETFs) have exceeded $2.5 billion. Large buyers have consistently pulled back from Bitcoin investments over the past two weeks. Investor sentiment is also affected by expectations of increased regulatory oversight: following midterm elections in Congress, where Democrats secured a majority in both chambers, market participants are forecasting a tougher stance from regulators toward the industry.
AI Sector Volatility and Dollar Strengthening
GSR co-founder Rich Rosenblum attributes the pressure on the crypto market to a combination of factors: volatility in the artificial intelligence sector, a strengthening US dollar, high inflation figures, and management changes at Nvidia. According to him, these elements combined have dampened investor appetite for risk assets. Total global crypto market capitalization has shrunk by approximately $80 billion since the start of the day—from $2.39 trillion to $2.31 trillion, with Bitcoin's share of total capitalization holding at around 60%.
Thus, the current drop of Bitcoin below $70,000 is not an isolated event, but a result of overlapping systemic factors: macroeconomic expectations regarding Fed rates, leveraged liquidation mechanics, institutional capital outflows, and regulatory uncertainty. The market remains highly sensitive to further signals from monetary policy and corporate news from the tech sector.
