Hours before a high-stakes White House announcement by Donald Trump, Bitcoin’s largest players quietly loaded into aggressive shorts — some at 40x leverage — as price action tapped but failed to hold $110,000. Liquidity remains thin, options flows are turning defensive across $109K–$115K, and liquidation clusters have formed just above $106K, setting the stage for a fast, directional move if support at $107K breaks or if a squeeze clears $111K. With “insider” timing suspected since the Oct. 10 whipsaw to $102K on Binance, traders should assume two-way volatility — and plan accordingly.
What just happened
Large BTC accounts opened fresh, high-leverage shorts into a narrowing range, aiming for a news-driven break. Spot failed to hold $110K, while derivatives data show concentrated interest around liquidation bands near $106K. Options net-premium flows reflect hedging into strength, signaling **proactive risk-off** positioning by pros.
Why this matters to traders
When whales lean short with leverage into a scheduled headline, it often means they expect a volatility impulse. In thin conditions, liquidity pockets become magnets: price can wick into liquidation clusters, trigger cascades, then violently reverse. That dynamic punishes late entries and oversized leverage.
The levels and triggers
- Support to hold: $107K (loss opens path to prior liquidity at $106K and potentially deeper). - Resistance to reclaim: $111K (acceptance above on rising volume flips bias toward $114K–$115K). - Context: Prior capitulation low at $102K (Oct. 10) remains a downside reference in disorderly conditions. - Time risk: Headline window around the Trump announcement; watch the first 15–30 minutes for fake-outs.
Actionable trading playbook
- Pre-plan scenarios: map entries and invalidations for both a $107K break and a $111K reclaim; no plan, no trade.
- Avoid chasing the first spike; wait for a sweep of a key level and a reclaim/rejection confirmation on higher time-frame candles.
- Place stops outside obvious liquidation bands to reduce stop-hunt risk (e.g., beyond $106K or above $111K as your bias dictates).
- Keep leverage modest; volatility plus event risk can blow through tight margins faster than you can react.
- Consider hedges: short-dated protective puts or collars if you’re long spot; reduce delta into the event, re-add on confirmation.
- Monitor live signals: funding and open interest shifts, CoinGlass liquidation heatmaps, and volume expansion on breaks.
Risks and invalidation
If BTC reclaims and holds above $111K on expanding volume, the short-side thesis weakens, raising squeeze risk into $114K–$115K. Conversely, a clean break and acceptance below $107K increases probability of cascading stops toward prior liquidity pools. Options implied volatility can spike on headlines, making late hedges expensive and exits slippery.
Bottom line
This is a textbook **event-driven** setup: compressed range, defensive positioning, and visible liquidity targets. Let the levels confirm the move, keep size disciplined, and trade the reaction — not the prediction.
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