How a Crypto Whale Turned Trump’s Market Chaos into $160 Million in 30 Hours

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In a world where fortunes are made and lost faster than you can say “blockchain,” a crypto whale has just pocketed a staggering $160 million, all thanks to a bold bet against Bitcoin and Ethereum during their recent tumble.

On the fateful 11th of October, the blockchain analysis platform Lookonchain reported a truly remarkable feat. A long-term Bitcoin holder, clearly no stranger to risk, opened more than $1.1 billion in short positions on the top two cryptocurrencies-Bitcoin and Ethereum.

When Bitcoin Fell, This Trader Laughed All the Way to the Bank

While the world was riding high on a bullish Bitcoin wave, this trader had the audacity to bet against it. Yes, you read that right. He predicted that both Bitcoin and Ethereum, despite their optimistic climb, would crash and burn. And guess what? The crash came-and fast.

In a mere 30 hours, the trader’s gamble paid off with a tidy profit of $160 million. Who says the crypto world isn’t a wild rollercoaster of emotions (and wealth)?

Insane – over $160M profit in just 30 hours! đŸ˜±

This #BitcoinOG has closed most of his $BTC and $ETH shorts, leaving only 821.6 $BTC($92M) short, making a profit of more than $160M!

– Lookonchain (@lookonchain) October 11, 2025

After the bloodbath that shook the market, the whale started unloading their positions, holding onto just 821.6 BTC, worth around $92 million. It seems this trader knew something the rest of us didn’t-or maybe, just maybe, he had a knack for timing?

The timing was impeccable, and it has sparked whispers. Could this trader have known about the looming storm in the macroeconomic world? Was there an inside scoop on a market downturn, or was it pure intuition?

Trump’s announcement on Friday, which involved a 100% tariff on Chinese imports and fresh export controls targeting critical software industries, sent ripples through the markets. The move, scheduled for November 1, rattled investors in both traditional and crypto markets, causing a swift and brutal sell-off of risk assets.

Bitcoin, the flagship of cryptocurrencies, dropped as low as $105,262 before bouncing back to a more comfortable $111,052. Ethereum and other major assets such as Solana, Dogecoin, and XRP followed a similar downtrend, resulting in the largest daily liquidation figures ever seen.

It wasn’t just the digital coins that suffered. A staggering 1.6 million traders were liquidated, wiping out $19.31 billion worth of positions in just 24 hours, according to CoinGlass data. In the midst of all this carnage, one can almost hear the faint sound of a cash register ringing for the fortunate few.

Most of the pain was felt by long traders-the ones who bet on further price gains-who bore the brunt of the losses, totaling $16.82 billion. Meanwhile, the short traders, despite the massive dip, still managed to lose an additional $2.5 billion. Some might call that poetic justice.

Bitcoin alone accounted for $5.37 billion of the liquidations, with Ethereum close behind at $4.43 billion. Solana traders lost a cool $2 billion, and the underdogs of the crypto world-HYPE and XRP-saw their fortunes plummet by $890.37 million and $708.24 million, respectively. It’s safe to say that if you were holding any of these assets, your weekend just got a whole lot less fun.

In the end, the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid took the lion’s share of the liquidation drama, handling $10.3 billion-or about 53%-of the total. Bybit followed closely behind with $4.65 billion, while Binance and OKX saw $2.39 billion and $1.21 billion, respectively, evaporate in the blink of an eye.

This saga serves as a powerful reminder of how quickly market dynamics can change. A single geopolitical shock, like Trump’s tariffs, and the crypto market-along with the fortunes of whales and minnows alike-can be turned upside down. In this world, you’re either making millions or, well, watching them disappear. And sometimes, all it takes is one well-timed trade. 😎

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2025-10-11 12:38