Trader Flips From ETH Short to Leveraged Bitcoin Long

A pseudonymous high- leverage trader closed a short position on ether ( ETH) worth over $100 million on May 26, recording a $260,000 loss in the process. Within hours, the same wallet opened a 20x leveraged long position on 175.04 bitcoin ( BTC), a $13.43 million bet that the market moves higher. Ether is currently trading at $2,090.55 while bitcoin sits at $76,662.

Image source: X

Bitcoin.com News had reported on the trader’s moves yesterday, with the latest reversal being notable for both its size and its implication as the whale appears to have concluded that ether’s downside case is exhausted and that bitcoin offers a better vehicle for near-term profits.

At 20x leverage, the position faces liquidation if bitcoin moves roughly 5% against the trade, making this an extremely high-conviction, high-risk bet. A $260,000 loss on a $100 million position represents just a 0.26% drawdown, suggesting the short was closed near its entry price rather than at a significant adverse move.

The trade arrives against a backdrop of broader repositioning in the crypto market with bitcoin ETFs recording $1.26 billion in outflows during the week of May 18–22, 2026, while some alternative assets drew inflows.

Despite that institutional selling pressure, bitcoin has held above $76,000 as analysts remain broadly bullish on the asset’s long-term trajectory. Strategy’s Michael Saylor believes BTC could cross the $1 million mark by year-end, while Maelstrom’s Arthur Hayes expects the currency to reach $125,000 over the same time frame.

Whether the 20x BTC long proves prescient or ends in rapid liquidation will depend entirely on near-term price action. At just over $76,600, bitcoin is trading well below its 2026 highs, and a move of 5% or more in either direction would swiftly determine the trade’s fate.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。