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Ethereum can be subjected to harsh sell pressure this week, here’s why

Ethereum can be subjected to harsh sell pressure this week, here's why
  • ETH might be prone to more sell pressure as Voyager liquidates its holdings.
  • Long positions shift in favor of shorts as bearish market conditions prevail.

The ghost of 2022’s crypto contagion is yet to be exorcised. A wave of ETH sell pressure might be on the way courtesy of distraught crypto firm Voyager.


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Crypto research company Arkham recently confirmed that voyager has commenced the process of liquidating its digital assets.

The company filed for bankruptcy after a series of unfortunate market events that led to heavy losses. Initial data reveal that Voyager has slightly over 100,000 ETH in its addresses which will be liquidated to pay creditors.

The amount of ETH to be liquidated is worth over $150 million. The report further revealed that the funds will be sent to Coinbase and Wintermute addresses.

Those liquidations may translate to a large amount of sell pressure within the next few days. Such an outcome might trigger a deeper bearish move below $1,500.

ETH bears have so far pushed the price down by roughly 12% from its February highs to its $1,527 press time price. However, the Voyager liquidations are not the only bearish concerns for bullish traders.

ETH price action
Source: TradingView

Bullish expectations dimmed for the last few weeks courtesy of anticipated rate hike increases. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell recently reignited those bearish expectations during a recent Senate hearing. He revealed that the FED might have to increase rates to have a better chance at combatting inflation.


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Are ETH derivatives traders taking advantage?

With the aforementioned problems taking center stage, shorts traders will be looking to take advantage. That is likely the case according to multiple metrics including the futures estimated leverage ratio. The latter has improved over the last two weeks as prices dropped.

ETH Futures estimated leverage ratio
Source: Glassnode

The surge in the futures estimated leverage ratio is particularly evident in the last two days confirming healthy demand for leverage.

The price has been bearish during the same time. Also, ETH’s open interest metric is on the rise this week and especially in the last two days. A potential sign that there is demand for shorts.

ETH open interest, long and short liquidations
Source: CryptoQuant

Another noteworthy observation regarding the state of derivatives is that investors have shifted from long positions likely in favor of shorts.

The longs liquidation metric shows a drop in liquidations courtesy of the bearish market conditions.

Disclaimer: AMBCrypto's content is meant to be informational in nature and should not be interpreted as investment advice. Trading, buying or selling cryptocurrencies should be considered a high-risk investment and every reader is advised to do their own research before making any decisions.

Michael is a full-time journalist at AMBCrypto. He has 5 years of experience in finance and forex and more than two years as a writer in the crypto and blockchain segments. Michael's writing at AMBCrypto is primarily focused on cryptocurrency market news and technical analysis. His interests include motorcycles and exotic cars.

AMBCrypto was founded in 2018 with a mission to simplify and bring the latest blockchain and cryptocurrency news to our readers. We have quickly grown into the digital news source for an emerging generation of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, reaching more than a million readers on a monthly basis, across the globe.