On March 26, 2026, from 17:45 to 18:00 (UTC), Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a -0.69% return within 15 minutes, with a price range of $68,385.8 to $68,956.2 USDT and an amplitude of 0.83%. Short-term volatility increased, market attention rapidly heightened, showing concentrated downward pressure. The main driver of this movement was the approaching options expiration, with related position investors adjusting short-term holdings in response to the "maximum pain" zone ($75,000–$80,000), combined with the put/call ratio of options.

Gate News bot message, according to the March 26 update, Bitcoin ETFs recorded a 1-day net inflow of +86 BTC (+$5.92M), while showing a 7-day net outflow of -898 BTC (-$61.97M). Ethereum ETFs experienced a 1-day net outflow of -4,439 ETH (-$9.17M) and a 7-day net outflow of -121,318 ETH (-$250.64M).

Greeks.live reports that tomorrow will see the largest options settlement of the first quarter this year, with nearly 40% of options expiring. The biggest pain point for BTC is at $75,000, with low put option trading volume and overall sentiment leaning bearish. IV Crush is imminent, short-term option buyers are at a disadvantage, while institutions are building positions in future bullish options through rollovers.

Greeks.live on the X platform pointed out that March 27 will mark the largest options expiration of Q1 2026, with about 40% of options expiring. The biggest pain point for BTC is $75,000, and put option trading volume is low. Volatility warning indicates that IV Crush is approaching, and short-term options buyers are at a disadvantage. Whales are rolling over positions on Deribit, building large positions in out-of-the-money call options for June and September.

2026-03-26 15:00 to 15:15 (UTC), BTC spot price recorded a -0.77% return, trading between 68,913.1 and 69,495.9 USDT, with a volatility of 0.84%. During this period, market liquidity was sufficient but activity declined, on-site attention increased, and volatility was amplified. The main driver of this fluctuation was passive price movement in a low liquidity environment, combined with the CME Bitcoin futures March contract entering its first notice day, leading some institutions to shift and hedge their positions, which triggered a short-term downward trend. Additionally, spot and derivatives markets...

In the past 24 hours, the total liquidation amount in the cryptocurrency market reached $253 million, with over 80% from long positions. BTC and ETH were liquidated for $68.88 million and $87.89 million respectively, involving a total of 90,432 traders. The largest single liquidation was $9.315 million.

Gate News bot 消息，Gate 行情显示，BTC 跌破 69000 USDT，现价 68972.8 USDT。

Gate News reports that on March 26, according to on-chain data analysis by CryptoQuant analyst nino, the Bitcoin Long-Term Holder Profit Ratio (LTH-SOPR) recently dropped below 1.0. LTH-SOPR specifically tracks the actual profit and loss status of long-term investors holding coins for over 155 days. A value above 1.0 indicates that the overall holders are selling at a profit, while below 1.0 suggests long-term holders are exiting at a loss.

BlockBeats News, March 26 — According to Onchain Lens monitoring, whale 0x049 shorted 577.34 BTC (worth $40 million) with 20x leverage and 19,344.8 ETH (worth $40 million).

The global market is experiencing intertwined impacts from three main factors: the U.S. easing oil and gas restrictions to suppress energy prices, rising interest rates in Japan, and tense Middle East tensions. This situation is disrupting traditional pricing, causing capital flows to shift from financial assets to physical and strategic resources. For the crypto market, Bitcoin (BTC) reflects risk appetite, with prices fluctuating between $69,000 and $72,000. Its future trend will be influenced by macroeconomic factors.