Bitcoin Faces Aggressive Shorting as Dollar Index Surges

The number of Bitcoin short positions being opened aggressively indicates low spot demand. At the same time, the spot market has not yet seen enough buying pressure to reverse the short positions.

The 5-minute BTC/USDT trading chart above displays Bitcoin’s move from above $84,200 to $82,460. With multiple lower highs and lower lows.

The U.S. dollar hits 18-month high

As of the last update, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) – which tracks the value of the dollar against a basket of six major currencies – soared above 102.50 to hit its highest point since April 2025.

The DXY’s 15-minute trading chart displays an even more aggressive bullish outlook. From around 102.12, DXY reached 102.55. The pattern comprises higher highs and higher lows. The index saw a significant breakout above the key 102.50 psychological level.

Increased oil prices are hurting major oil importers (especially Europe and Japan). That, in turn, is negatively impacting their currencies versus the dollar.

Second, as a result of the Fed’s increasingly hawkish monetary policy outlook, the greenback is getting a boost.

In fact, on Monday, the president of the Cleveland Fed, Beth Hammack, said that a restrictive monetary policy was necessary to cool the increasingly broad inflationary problem.

The U.S. CPI data set to be released on Wednesday is the next key catalyst. This report may have a significant bearing on what the market anticipates from the Fed in the next round of policy actions.

Bitcoin’s correlation with the dollar may not always be inverse, but a rising dollar trend makes it significantly harder for the Bitcoin bulls to get a strong footing.

Warning signs from the derivatives market

The most recent CoinGlass derivatives data is painting a picture of growing activity as Bitcoin’s price falls.

Over the past 24 hours, the trading volume in Bitcoin futures has stood at $43.55 billion.

The total open interest of Bitcoin futures stands at $52.25 billion. Therefore, much of the leveraged positions are still out there.

On the other hand, the total Bitcoin liquidations are at $54.76 million over the last 24 hours. Of this, $43.22 million are in long liquidations, and $11.54 million are in short liquidations.

This means that nearly 79% of the total Bitcoin liquidations over the last 24 hours are the bullish players. In other words, it shows the struggle of the leveraged buyers.