BTC Slides 3.24% Amid $200M Liquidations, Market Fear Grows Despite Institutional Accumulation

Bitcoin (BTCUSDT) experienced a 3.24% decline over the past 24 hours, with the price dropping from 88,749.74 to 85,874.74 USDT on Binance. The primary driver of this price decrease was a significant market sell-off on December 15, 2025, which resulted in the liquidation of over $200 million in leveraged positions—mostly long positions—indicating fragile leverage conditions and contributing to heightened volatility. Despite substantial accumulation by entities such as Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which recently acquired 8,178 BTC, overall demand has not been strong enough to offset prevailing market fear, as reflected by a Crypto Fear & Greed Index score of 16.

Currently, Bitcoin trades within the 86,325 to 90,294 USDT range, supported by a 24-hour trading volume exceeding 16,695 BTC (about 1.48 billion USDT) and a market capitalization of approximately $1.79 trillion, maintaining its status as the leading digital asset with nearly 59% market dominance. Recent price action shows mild bearish momentum, with the asset trading below key moving averages and investors closely monitoring support and resistance levels for further volatility.