Bitcoin Faces Deeper Reset Risk as Bitfinex Warns of $70K Drop

Bitfinex warned that bitcoin risked a prolonged decline as weak fund flows, uneven corporate demand, and broader market pressures tested its recovery. The exchange also flagged growing futures exposure and steeper altcoin losses.

Bitcoin Faces a $75,717 Recovery Test

Crypto exchange Bitfinex warned Nov. 11 that bitcoin risked a deeper reset, meaning a prolonged decline, after four days below its $75,717 short-term holder cost basis. That level represented the estimated average acquisition price of coins held for fewer than 155 days. Regaining it was central to the exchange’s recovery assessment.

Among 14 comparable episodes since 2016, bitcoin regained the threshold within two weeks in 11 cases; three took 57 to 114 days. The current break began Nov. 8, making Nov. 22 the two-week checkpoint. Bitfinex stated:

“Rallies towards the short-term holder cost basis at $75,717 are likely to be sold until spot demand returns.”

Prices rebounded above $74,600 around 12:25 p.m. EST on Nov. 11, remaining below that threshold. Bitcoin eased to $74,157 by 5:35 p.m. EST, up 0.68% over 24 hours but down 7.15% over the week, 10.42% over the month, and 27.68% over the year.

Bitcoin traded below the short-term holder cost basis after Nov. 8, while the chart showed a $71,600-$75,800 options-implied range for Nov. 13. Source: Bitfinex Alpha; Bitfinex; Checkonchain; Deribit.

Futures Positions Rise as Buyers Realize Losses

Aggregate futures open interest, the total exposure in contracts still open and unsettled, reached 701,900 BTC around the Nov. 11 daily open. Exposure rose 3.3% from Nov. 8 while prices declined 2.6%, reinforcing bitcoin derivatives pressure. Bitfinex warned that continued bullish positioning increased the risk of forced selling.

A measure dividing recent holders’ sale proceeds by acquisition costs reached 0.989 on Nov. 10, equivalent to receiving 98.9 cents per dollar spent. Separately, 1.6 million BTC bought between $75,000 and $80,000 was underwater, meaning worth less than its purchase price. Those holdings could create selling pressure during rebounds.

U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) lost approximately $399 million on Nov. 2. Corporate activity was mixed: Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) bought 1,036 BTC from Nov. 2-8, while MARA Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: MARA) disclosed selling 13,597 BTC over the past six weeks. Bitfinex concluded that corporate buying was insufficient to offset ETF selling.

Fund Flows and Broader Markets Shape the Outlook

Withdrawals subsequently slowed, with U.S. bitcoin ETF flows showing $201 million leaving Nov. 9 and $95 million Nov. 10. Bitfinex calculated $2.22 billion in net outflows across eight sessions beginning Oct. 30. Reclaiming $75,717 alongside three consecutive inflow sessions would support its correction scenario.

DWF Labs market insights lead Martin Lee offered a qualification to reliance on fund flows. He argued that fund withdrawals and deposits tended to follow price movements, limiting their predictive value.

Bitfinex also identified an imbalance in bitcoin’s relationship with equities. Across 25 sessions following the Nasdaq 100’s Oct. 6 record, bitcoin captured 91% of its losses on down days but 58% of its gains on up days. The index tracks 100 of the largest nonfinancial companies listed on Nasdaq.

Altcoin weakness extended the pressure beyond bitcoin. Across 12 large altcoins on Bitfinex, the median decline from the Sept. 21 close was 27.8%, compared with bitcoin’s 14.8%. Bitfinex attributed the gap to concentrated leverage and speculative capital moving elsewhere.

For the Nov. 13 options expiration, Bitfinex expected a $71,600-$75,800 range. A 10-year real Treasury yield, measured after accounting for expected inflation, above 2.8% or a Nasdaq 100 decline below 26,606 could trigger long liquidations. That conditional scenario pointed toward $70,000-$71,200.