Why is Bitcoin price down today?

Bitcoin price is down today as a flush-out of leveraged long traders pulled BTC below the $35,000 level.

Despite lower-than-expected United States inflation data showing a 3.2% yearly increase, the bullish momentum that propelled Bitcoin (BTC) to 31.8% 30-day gains was waning on Nov. 14. Bitcoin price appeared overheated, with close to $100 million liquidated within an hour, even after traditional markets reacted positively to flat month-over-month inflation. 

The contraction in Bitcoin price has not worried all analysts, with some believing Bitcoin is starting a path to $48,000.

Let’s take a closer look at the factors impacting Bitcoin price today.

$126 million in Bitcoin longs were liquidated

A sharp movement in the Bitcoin futures market appears to have been the primary reason for the swiftness of today’s price decline. Bitcoin long liquidations quickly spiked to over $97.9 million in a one-hour span on Nov. 14, with over $126.3 million liquidated in the preceding 24 hours

When BTC longs are liquidated without buying pressure from traders, Bitcoin price is negatively affected. Bitcoin trading volumes are down over $7 billion from a November high set on Nov. 9 of $13 billion.

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The absence of consistent liquidity and trading volume has led some analysts to debate whether the current Bitcoin price rally has staying power. If there is an upshot in liquidity, Bitcoin may quickly recover.

$BTC 1H
Pretty straight forward from here I think

acceptance below $34.7K ~ seek liquidity lower
acceptance above $36.3K ~ seek liquidity higher

Orderbook levels
$34K ~ bid depth thickens
$38K ~ ask depth thickens

HTF levels
$38K
$32K pic.twitter.com/9zN2bJV8gg

— Skew Δ (@52kskew) November 14, 2023

The futures market indicates that traders also believe a pullback is coming, with over 54% remaining short Bitcoin.

A record number of BTC wallets are in profit

Despite the Bitcoin price drawback on Nov. 14, a year-to-date high percentage of wallets in profit was reached on Nov. 11. Over 83% of short-term and long-term holders are currently in profit.

With a record number of wallets in profit, traders are still below the Oct. 24 realized profit level, but the uptick coincides with the price decrease. Profit-taking in October was supported by increased trading volume, which may have helped bolster Bitcoin price. The decline in trading volume combined with the high amount of investors in profit may lead to Bitcoin price continuing to fall if more traders start to realize profits.

All eyes are on the spot Bitcoin ETF applications

The short-term uncertainty in the crypto market does not appear to have changed institutional investors’ long-term outlook. Despite a hostile U.S. regulatory environment, two large institutions, BlackRock and Invesco Galaxy, have exchange-traded fund (ETF) tickers listed on the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation’s website.

Despite the urgency of major financial firms, the Securities and Exchange Commission seems poised to continue to delay decisions on approving Bitcoin ETFs until 2024. BlackRock recently cited USD Coin (USDC) and Tether (USDT) to the SEC as a potential risk to Bitcoin’s price.

Related: Bitcoin bounces at $36.2K lows as CPI inflation slows beyond forecasts

Bitcoin price continues to be directly impacted by macroeconomic events, and it is also likely that further regulatory actions, ETF news and interest rate hikes will continue having some effect on BTC price.

Despite Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pausing interest rate increases, Bitcoin price did not immediately react positively. The pause in interest rates and funding ratio has led some analysts to believe Bitcoin price will reach $69,000 in short order.

In the long term, market participants still expect the price of Bitcoin to recover, especially as more financial institutions are seemingly embracing BTC.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.