Altcoins plunge as bitcoin's $85,000 test triggers $550 million in liquidations

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Altcoins plunge as bitcoin's $85,000 test triggers $550 million in liquidations Solana tumbled below $120 to its weakest price since April, while SUI, DOGE and ADA also fell sharply. By Krisztian Sandor | Edited by Stephen Alpher Dec 18, 2025, 9:46 p.m. (CoinDesk) What to know : Bitcoin is teetering on the brink of falling below $85,000 level, accelerating declines in the crypto market. Altcoins such as SOL, Cardano, ADA, SUI and dogecoin led Thursday's drop. $550M in liquidations hit derivatives markets, but analysts said the pullback looks like orderly deleveraging rather than full-blown panic. Crypto losses accelerated Thursday afternoon as bitcoin BTC $ 85,474.61 broke below the key $85,000 support level, dipping to $84,500 — its weakest price in nearly three weeks — before rebounding slightly. The move erased BTC’s morning rally to $89,500 and dragged the broader crypto market lower. Ether ETH $ 2,822.20 fell under $2,800, down 1.1% in the past 24 hours, while Solana’s SOL dropped 4% to below $120, its lowest since April. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . Altcoins led the rout, with ADA $ 0.3529 , DOGE $ 0.1227 , and SUI plunging more than 5%, outpacing bitcoin’s 1.6% daily drop. The wild price swings across the board triggered $550 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours on derivatives markets, CoinGlass data shows, flushing out both short and long leveraged trading positions. The $85,000 level had served as a key area of support in recent weeks, with BTC finding buyers there multiple times. Analysts at AmberData, a crypto analytics firm, described this level as "crucial," and BTC losing it decisively could open the door to a deeper correction toward $80,000, analysts at crypto analytics firm AmberData warned. A check on perpetual swaps markets shows that funding rates for many altcoins' have turned negative, CoinGlass data shows, meaning that short positions, seeking to profit from lower prices, are paying long positions a fee to keep their positions open. That signals traders remain cautious and risk-off. Perp funding rates (annualized) on major exchanges (CoinGlass) Still, the absence of a spike in trading volume suggests the market is undergoing a "orderly deleveraging," rather than panic selling, AmberData analysts said. "Lack of volume spike on selloff indicates sellers exhausted rather than fresh supply emerging," they said. 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