Ether Reclaims $2,500 as Short Liquidations Reach $186.8 Million

Ether (ETH) climbed back above $2,500 on Oct. 21 as short positions accounted for 68.6% of $272 million in crypto liquidations, showing most forced closures hit traders betting on a decline.

At 11:17 a.m. ET (15:17 UTC), Ether was at $2,505, a 2.9% rise over the previous 24 hours. It was the asset’s first move above $2,500 since Oct. 14, when Ether also cleared the level in an earlier market update. Binance spot trading reached $2,514 during the 24-hour period.

The 24-hour tally included 73,725 traders with positions liquidated. Forced closures totaled $272 million across the market; shorts accounted for $186.8 million, or 68.6%, while longs accounted for $85.6 million.

The largest individual liquidation was a Binance ETHUSDT long position worth $11.83 million, liquidated at about $2,432.53. That was near Ether’s 24-hour low of $2,424.

U.S. spot Ether exchange-traded funds had net outflows of $103.3 million Oct. 19 and $26.1 million Oct. 20. Oct. 21 figures were incomplete at the time of the market snapshot.