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Ethereum risks over $1 billion liquidation if price falls below $4,000 support zone.
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Liquidation trackers show $536 million wiped out, with Ethereum leading at $212.9 million.
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Ethereum’s breakdown may trigger a wider crypto sell-off, putting entire market under serious pressure.
Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, has seen a sharp pullback, dropping nearly 5% to around $4,270. The dip came as traders reacted to global economic news, shifting Federal Reserve expectations, and a wave of liquidations that shook the market.
With ETH now hovering around $4200, a drop could lead to $1 billion in liquidation and more, which could lead to a massive sell-off in the cryptocurrency market.
Why $4,000 Is The Breaking Point?
After the Ether price dropped to $4200, $4,000 has become a critical support zone for Ethereum. Data from liquidation trackers shows that in the last 24 hours, over $536 million in crypto positions were liquidated, with Ethereum leading the wipeout at $212.9 million.
This brought panic among the investors, especially the long-term investors, as it led to a massive sell-off, leading the Eth price to crash harder.
However, the danger isn’t over, data show that if the ETH price slips further under $4,000, cascading liquidations could put as much as $1.19 billion at risk.
Mechanism Capital’s founder, Andrew Kang, even warned that ETH could crash toward $3,200–$3,600 if long positions keep getting wiped out, which will further lead to $5 billion in liquidation.
Would estimate we’re about to hit $5b in ETH liquidations across exchanges
Taking us down to $3.2k – $3.6k
Good night https://t.co/QV10jV8mKC pic.twitter.com/zc6BqO38lZ
— Andrew Kang (@Rewkang) August 18, 2025
ETF Outflows & Whale Moves Add Pressure
Ethereum is also seeing pressure from institutional investors. On August 15, ETH spot ETFs recorded $59.3 million in outflows, signaling that big funds are pulling back after weeks of steady inflows.
At the same time, a large whale transferred 12,202 ETH (worth $54 million) to exchanges, hinting at profit-taking after last month’s 19% rally. These moves have added more selling pressure to an already fragile market.
🚨 🚨 🚨 12,202 #ETH (54,663,356 USD) transferred from #FalconX to unknown wallethttps://t.co/Ka2T5BXY9g
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) August 17, 2025
Overall Crypto Market Is Struggling
Ethereum’s decline comes as the overall crypto market struggles. Bitcoin has dropped nearly 3% to $115,000, weighing heavily on altcoins and DeFi tokens. Since ETH often sets the tone for the broader market, a sharp breakdown here could trigger a wider sell-off across the industry.
For now, all eyes remain on the $4,000 support level. If Ethereum holds above it, stability may return. But if it breaks, the market could be staring at one of the biggest liquidation waves of the year.
