BTC drops sharply in 15 minutes by 0.53%: Technical breakdown below key support combined with leverage liquidation resonance triggers short-term selling pressure

From 04:00 to 04:15 (UTC) on June 18, 2026, BTC/USDT saw a sharp drop of 0.53% within 15 minutes, trading between 63,828.4 and 64,339.4 USDT, with a range of 0.79%. BTC experienced a clear pullback in the short term; market sentiment remains cautious, and the weak technical pattern persists.

The main driver of this move was the loss of a key technical support level. On June 17, BTC’s closing price was around $65,845, having fallen below the $74,000 key support level. Technical indicators show negative volume imbalance (continued sell-side pressure). Programmatic trading strategies triggered automatic selling when the price broke below the key technical level, causing short-term selling pressure to be released in a concentrated manner.

In addition, passive liquidations of high-leverage positions in the derivatives market magnified the decline. CoinGlass liquidation heatmap shows that when BTC fell below $73,786, more than $1.29 billion in leveraged long positions faced liquidation risk; a -0.53% drop was enough to trigger partial positions to automatically close, forming a negative feedback loop. At the same time, a hawkish signal was released from the Federal Reserve FOMC meeting at the macro level. The dot plot shows that 9 committee members supported continuing to raise rates in 2026, increasing pressure on risk assets amid expectations of tighter liquidity. Spot Bitcoin ETF outflows have exceeded 40,000 BTC for 10 straight trading days (about $3 billion), and continuous institutional outflows further intensified selling pressure. Multiple factors resonated within a specific time window.

There is still a large amount of open leveraged positions in the current market, and price volatility may trigger a chain of liquidations. If the price effectively breaks below the $63,418 support level, it could open up further downside room. Short-term investors should watch for changes in macro news and on-chain fund flows, and be wary of volatility risks.