Hours before a high-stakes White House announcement, crypto’s biggest players quietly moved the chessboard: a known whale deposited $3M USDC and opened a 40x leveraged BTC short on Hyperliquid as Bitcoin stalled near $110,000. With liquidation clusters stacked around $106,000–$107,000 and options flows turning defensive across $109K–$115K, the market is flashing a simple message: volatility is coming, and positioning is already shifting. The move follows weeks of “insider-timed” plays since the Oct. 10 flash crash to $102,000 on Binance—raising the stakes around today’s levels.

What Just Happened

Large-volume accounts added fresh, high-leverage BTC shorts into a tight range. Price tapped ~$110K but failed to hold. CoinGlass data shows new whale shorts and a notable liquidation pocket just above $106K. Glassnode reports net option premium flows concentrated in $109K–$115K, indicating traders are hedging into strength rather than chasing upside.

Why Traders Should Care

- Event risk: Trump’s announcement historically correlates with sharp, asymmetric BTC moves. - Thin volume near the highs increases slippage risk and the chance of stop-runs. - Crowded leverage means quick liquidations can amplify both downside wicks and upside squeezes.

Key Levels and Triggers

- $111K: Short-term line to beat and hold. Acceptance above opens a path toward $113K–$115K. - $107K: Must-hold support cited by multiple traders; a loss increases downside momentum. - $106K: Liquidation magnet; a sweep here is plausible if $107K gives way. - $102K: Flash-crash reference; becomes a target if a cascade triggers. - Options zone $109K–$115K: Defensive hedging implies rallies may be sold until this flips.

Actionable Game Plan

• Reduce leverage ahead of the announcement; widen stops or sit flat during the event window.
• Breakout plan: Wait for a 4H close and hold above $111K with rising volume/spot lead; target $113K–$115K. Invalidation back below $110K.
• Breakdown plan: If 4H closes below $107K, look for a $106K liquidation sweep. Either fade the first bounce only after a reclaim or ride momentum short with tight risk.
• Hedge longs: Consider short-dated put spreads near $109K–$107K if implied volatility is still reasonable.
• Confirm flows: Prioritize spot leading perps, cooling funding, and stable-to-rising OI for trend continuation; avoid chasing if funding spikes and OI drops.

Signals Worth Monitoring

- CoinGlass heatmaps for shifting liquidation pools. - Funding and OI: Spiking funding + falling OI often signals short-lived squeezes. - Spot vs perps: Spot-led rallies are healthier than perp-led leverage pops. - Volume: Breaks without volume are prone to failure in this range.

Bottom Line

The tape is balanced on a knife’s edge: $111K unlocks higher; $107K risks a fast trip into the $106K pocket—and potentially lower if liquidations cascade. Trade the confirmation, not the headline, and let positioning metrics guide your risk.

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