Reviewed by Reviewed by Jacob Thomas Updated 10:00 EDT October 10, 2026 Share Share Share Back to Top Extreme bullish positioning in the derivatives market can cut both ways
Notably, Ethereum’s [ETH] current market structure is a good example. According to the data from CoinGlass, over $177 million in ETH long positions were liquidated on the 8th of October, which marked the largest long squeeze since early June
With this in mind, ETH’s derivatives market may be set up for another squeeze. Lookonchain recently highlighted that smart trader, with a reported 100% win rate and $9.26 million in total profits, is back in action. After the market dip, the trader opened a 20x leveraged long position on 12,000 ETH worth $29.88 million. The position is now sitting on an unrealized profit of $626,000
The key takeaway? Other traders are leaning bullish too
Bitfinex whales’ ETH long positions are rising, while the Ethereum Long/Short Ratio crossed above 1 for the first time after three days of negative readings. This points to a shift toward bullish positioning. However, if too many traders crowd into long, another sharp move lower could trigger a fresh wave of liquidations
From a technical lens, with Ethereum [ETH] down 8% this week, the violent bullish positioning may lead to another bull trap, potentially pushing the price toward $2.1k if support breaks. But does this aggressive long positioning mean that traders are anticipating a catalyst that the broader market has yet to price in?
Ethereum’s recent weakness may not be ETH-specific, as altcoin rotation could be behind the sell-off too
Technically speaking, ETH is down almost 8% in the week, while Solana [SOL] has corrected by over 9%. Moreover, Bitcoin dominance has climbed back above 60%, putting pressure on the altcoins. However, if BTC.D fails to break through this resistance again; it could clear the path for an altcoin recovery, which may explain why traders are still building bullish Ethereum positions
On the supply side note, Binance’s ETH reserves have reduced from nearly 4 million to below 3.5 million, thus recording a 6-month low. The drop in the ETH reserves on Binance may add to upward pressure on the price if Bitcoin dominance fails to rise and capital rotation begins to take place back into altcoins
Given this setup, Ethereum’s bullish positioning could be more than a fluke
On-chain liquidity across Ethereum also remains strong. According to Token Terminal, Ethereum added $243.4 million in stablecoin market cap over the last seven days, leading all networks. This could encourage fresh buying activity, particularly with ETH reserves on exchanges continuing to deplete, which could reduce selling pressure, giving bulls more breathing room to rally prices
This makes the current setup different from the previous extended squeeze. If capital continues to flow into ETH, a breakout in the ETH/BTC pair could serve as the next catalyst for upside. This indicates that traders are positioning ahead of a potential shift in momentum that the broader market has yet to price in
Ritika Gupta is a coin-based journalist at AMBCrypto who focuses on how economic and political trends impact cryptocurrencies. A social sciences graduate from Gargi College, she reports on AI, DeFi, Web3, and blockchain, using her hands-on experience to turn complex crypto developments into clear, practical insights for readers
