Bitcoin has entered a sideways consolidation after a V-shaped rebound. On the morning of April 22, BTC traded in a narrow range of $74,821–$76,927, currently at $76,323. The move followed a low of $70,678 on April 13, after which buying pressure gradually returned. Ethereum followed a similar recovery path, trading at $2,324, up 0.12% in 24 hours, after bottoming at $2,164 on April 9 and peaking at $2,451 on April 18.
$270M Liquidated in 24H, Shorts Hit 72% in 4H Window
According to CoinGlass, total liquidations across the crypto market reached $270.00 million in the past 24 hours, with 112,184 traders forced out. The split was nearly even: longs $133.91M and shorts $136.09M, indicating no clear directional bias on the daily timeframe. However, the 4-hour data tells a different story: short liquidations hit $23.21 million versus only $9.05 million for longs, giving shorts a whopping 71.98% share. The largest single liquidation order was $7.59 million on Bitget's BTCUSDT_UMCBL pair.
Macro: Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire, ETFs See 5-Day Inflows
Macro sentiment remains cautious. US equities fell on April 21: the S&P 500 dropped 0.63% to 7,064, and the Nasdaq lost 0.59% to 24,259. President Trump extended the Iran ceasefire deadline to when Tehran submits a proposal, temporarily easing some uncertainty. On the crypto side, ETF inflows have rebounded: US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $411.5 million in net inflows on April 16, with IBIT contributing $214 million, marking five consecutive days of inflows. Year-to-date net inflows have turned positive to approximately $245 million. The CME BTC/ETH options expire on April 24, just four days before the FOMC meeting. Fed Chair Powell's term ends May 15, and Trump's nominee Kevin Warsh is seen as more hawkish, adding policy uncertainty.
SOL and XRP Still Below Recent Highs
SOL is trading at $86.45, up 0.97% in 24 hours, the strongest among major altcoins. It has recovered over 6% from the April 13 low of $81.54 but remains about 4.3% below its April 18 peak of $90.32. XRP stands at $1.4312, up 0.23%, around 4.6% away from its April 17 high of $1.5010. Both coins are in a consolidation pattern.
Fear & Greed Index Climbs to 32, Leaves Extreme Fear Zone
The Fear & Greed Index currently sits at 32 (Fear), slightly down from yesterday's 33 but a significant improvement from last week's 23 (Extreme Fear) and last month's 8 (Extreme Fear). Sentiment is slowly recovering but has not yet reached neutral (50). Key events to watch: the CME options expiry on April 24 could trigger short-term volatility; the FOMC decision on April 28, where rate cut expectations might provide support; continued ETF inflows; and progress in Middle East ceasefire talks. These factors will determine whether BTC can hold above $76,000 and challenge the $77,000 resistance.