Ethereum under $3,000 with $1 billion lurking in liquidation strength, market structure is becoming fragile

According to the latest news, if Ethereum falls below $3,000, the cumulative liquidation strength of mainstream CEX long positions will reach $1.001 billion. Conversely, if it breaks above $3,300, the short position liquidation strength will be $638 million. What does this data behind these figures reflect? What kind of market structural pressure is Ethereum currently facing?

Market signals behind the liquidation strength data

What is liquidation strength

First, it is necessary to understand the true meaning of liquidation strength. According to Coinglass, liquidation strength is not an exact count of contracts pending liquidation or the value of contracts being liquidated, but rather a measure of the importance of each liquidation cluster relative to nearby clusters. Simply put, higher liquidation bars indicate that when the price reaches that level, market reactions will be more intense due to liquidity waves.

Liquidation pattern in the $3000-$3300 range

Currently, Ethereum’s price is around $3,138.30. From the liquidation strength data, there is a clear asymmetry in this range:

This indicates that the liquidation strength for downside risk is significantly greater than for upside risk. The pressure on long holders is higher, reflecting that market participants are more concerned about downside risks.

Current market environment intensifies downside risk

This liquidation data is not isolated. Combined with the current market environment, Ethereum faces multiple pressures:

• ETF continuous outflows: The Ethereum spot ETF has experienced net outflows for three consecutive days, with a net outflow of $93.8151 million yesterday. BlackRock’s ETH AUM saw a single-day net outflow of $83.777 million, indicating institutional funds are withdrawing.
• Low social sentiment: Santiment analysts point out that Ethereum’s social media sentiment has fallen back to pre-2025 bull market levels. At that time, ETH rose from $1,472 to a peak of $4,878. Currently, the price is about $3,089, down 36%.
• Whale selling pressure: Market analysis indicates Ethereum faces whale selling pressure, although the Ethereum Foundation and other institutions are increasing staking, these efforts cannot offset the selling pressure in the market.

These factors combined make the $3,000 support level with a liquidation strength of $1.001 billion particularly critical.

Lessons from the history of low social sentiment

But there is an interesting detail here. Santiment’s analysis mentions that the current social sentiment level is similar to that before the 2025 bull market. At that time, Ethereum rose from $1,472 to a peak of $4,878. In other words, historically, lows in social sentiment have sometimes been the prelude to reversals.

This does not mean a rebound is guaranteed, but it serves as a reminder to market participants: extremely pessimistic sentiment environments may also harbor opportunities. The key is whether the market can establish support around $3,000 and whether new positive catalysts emerge.

Summary

The liquidation strength data for Ethereum in the $3000-$3300 range shows a clear downward market bias. The $1.001 billion long liquidation strength below $3000, contrasted with the $638 million short liquidation strength, reflects higher market concern about downside risks. Factors such as ETF outflows, low social sentiment, and whale selling pressure further exacerbate this risk. However, historically, extreme pessimism in social sentiment has sometimes preceded reversals. The key points to watch going forward are whether $3,000 can hold as support and whether new market catalysts appear.