Why is the crypto market down today?
The cryptocurrency market is flashing red today, with the total market capitalization dropping by 2% to about $3.13 trillion on Feb. 18.While the crypto market is known for its volatility, several concrete factors have contributed to this latest dip, including:Liquidations across the crypto market pulling down crypto prices.Investors are in risk-off mode amid high outflows from crypto investment products.Weakening market technicals hint at further downside.Solana leads market slumpToday’s crypto market decline is part of a correction that started on Feb. 15, when the Argentina President Javier Milei-endorsed LIBRA token was “rug-pulled,” causing a loss of investor funds. The sell-off continues on Feb. 18, including:Solana leads the market downturn, 9% over the last 24 hours to trade just below $170.Bitcoin and Ether posted moderate losses, down 0.5% and 2%, respectively.Other top-cap cryptocurrencies such as XRP , and BNB Chain’s are also down 3.3%, 4% and 2%, respectively.Compounding the issue are the significant liquidations in the crypto market. The sell-off has triggered a cascade of leveraged position closures, with over $280 million in crypto liquidations recorded over the last 24 hours. Long SOL leveraged positions totaling $29.75 million were also liquidated on the day. This exceeds the $21.4 million in long BTC leveraged position liquidations.Over 128,350 traders were liquidated in the past day, with the largest single liquidations taking place on HTX involving an trade worth $2.65 million.A predominance of long liquidations suggests that the crypto market was overleveraged on the bullish side.Investors de-risk from crypto investment fundsThe crypto market’s ongoing correction aligns with the huge capital flows from the crypto investment products. Key takeaways:Digital asset investment products ended a 19-week inflow streak to post their first significant outflows totaling $415 million during the week ending Feb. 14, as per CoinShares report.This indicates institutional investors increased their exposure to digital assets.Bitcoin bore the brunt of investor outflows, totaling $430 million.The year-to-date inflows dropped from $7.4 billion previously to $6.9 billion last week.CoinShares head of research James Butterfill attributed this to de-risking sentiment surrounding the latest US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data and “hawkish Fed rhetoric.”“We believe these outflows were triggered by the Congressional meeting with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who signaled a more hawkish monetary policy stance, coupled with US inflation data exceeding expectations.”Note that:The CPI data for January came in higher than expected.This significantly dampened the expectation for multiple rate cuts in 2025. The odds of the Fed keeping interest rates unchanged at the March 19 FOMC meetings are now at 97.5%.The earliest possible rate cut is expected in July, but the odds are still at just 44.3%.Crypto market faces stiff resistanceToday’s drawdown in crypto prices has seen TOTAL—the combined market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies—is part of a correction that started on Jan. 31, which saw the price flip a key support zone into resistance.Key points to note:TOTAL trades below a key resistance level of $3.3 trillion, where 50-day and 100-day simple moving averages (SMAs) appear to converge.The relative strength index (RSI) has dropped from overbought conditions at 75 on Jan. 17 to the current level at 40. This suggests that the market conditions still favor the downside.Further, selling could see the crypto market likely drop toward the $3.03 trillion support.Note that this has been a key support for TOTAL since Feb. 6.Contrarily, a resurgence in buying pressure could push the crypto market cap back above the $3.2 trillion mark or higher to confront resistance from $3.3 trillion.According to popular analyst Crypto Zone, ”the crypto market is experiencing a cautious mood,” with the Fear and Greed Index sitting at 35.The analyst added:“This suggests investors are cautious, but it could also present a buying opportunity for those looking to enter the market.”This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.