Finance

Bitcoin Plunges Below $95,000: Is This the Start of a Crypto Bear Market?

Bitcoin plunged below $95,000, triggering $1.3B liquidations, sparking bear market fears.

November 14, 2025, 11:39 AM

A graph shows a sharp decline in the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin falling below $10,000 for the first time since February.

The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant downturn as Bitcoin's value plummeted below $10,000, signaling a continued bearish trend not seen since February. By MDL.

Executive Summary

Cryptocurrency markets experienced a sharp downturn, with Bitcoin plummeting below $95,000 to a six-month low and altcoins like Ethereum, Solana, and XRP suffering steeper losses.

The widespread sell-off triggered over $1.3 billion in futures liquidations, with long positions accounting for the vast majority.

Experts suggest the cryptocurrency industry has entered a bear market, attributing the downturn to diminishing institutional demand amidst macro and geopolitical uncertainties.

The Story So Far

The recent sharp downturn in cryptocurrency markets, which saw Bitcoin and altcoins plummet and triggered over $1.3 billion in futures liquidations, is attributed by experts to diminishing institutional demand amidst broader macro and geopolitical uncertainties, leading to declarations of a bear market and one of crypto’s weakest fourth-quarter performances.

Why This Matters

The sharp downturn across cryptocurrency markets, marked by Bitcoin’s fall below $95,000 and over $1.3 billion in futures liquidations, signals a significant period of market instability and potential onset of a bear market. This widespread sell-off, attributed to diminishing institutional demand and broader geopolitical uncertainties, underscores the vulnerability of digital assets to macro factors and could lead to sustained investor caution and reduced confidence in the near term.

Who Thinks What?

Experts cited by Decrypt suggest the cryptocurrency industry has entered a bear market, attributing the downturn to diminishing institutional demand amidst macro and geopolitical uncertainties.

Traders betting on rising cryptocurrency prices experienced significant losses, with $1.21 billion in long futures positions liquidated during the market sell-off.

Farside Investors and Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas observed consistent inflows into new Solana exchange-traded funds and a strong debut for XRP’s spot ETF, despite the broader market decline.

Cryptocurrency markets experienced a sharp downturn on Friday, with Bitcoin plummeting below $95,000 to a six-month low, while Ethereum, Solana, and XRP suffered even steeper losses. This widespread sell-off triggered over $1.3 billion in futures liquidations, leading some experts to declare the onset of a bear market.

Bitcoin’s Retreat and Altcoin Losses

Bitcoin’s price briefly fell below the $95,000 threshold, marking its lowest point in half a year, before recovering slightly to around $96,000. Despite the minor rebound, the leading digital asset remained down approximately 6.5% for the day.

The altcoin market, however, saw more pronounced declines. Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, dipped under $3,100 before stabilizing near $3,200, representing a nearly 7% drop over 24 hours. Its current price is now more than 35% below its August record of $4,946.

Solana faced an even steeper decline, shedding over 8% in 24 hours to trade at $142. It is now more than 52% below its January record of $293. This downturn occurred despite consistent inflows into new Solana exchange-traded funds since their October 28 debut, as reported by Farside Investors.

XRP Performance and Mass Liquidations

XRP, the fourth-biggest digital asset, also saw its value plunge by about 8% to $2.30. This occurred even after its new spot ETF, Canary Capital’s XRPC, posted the year’s strongest debut with $58 million in first-day trading, according to Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.

Concurrently, traders betting on rising cryptocurrency prices faced significant losses. CoinGlass data indicates that $1.36 billion in futures positions were liquidated within 24 hours, with long positions accounting for the vast majority at $1.21 billion.

Market Sentiment and Outlook

The broader cryptocurrency market registered a decline of over 4%, bringing its total valuation to $3.35 trillion. Experts cited by Decrypt suggested the industry has entered a bear market, attributing the downturn to diminishing institutional demand amidst macro and geopolitical uncertainties. This period marks one of crypto’s weakest fourth-quarter performances.