On August 19, bitcoin surpassed $69,000, while ether climbed back above $2,000. Both assets reached their highest levels since June. More than $1.2 B in positions were liquidated within one hour, while 24-hour liquidations reached about $1.6 B, with short positions accounting for most of the total.
The market move began after the U.S. Treasury announced an increase in the maximum amount of long-term Treasury securities it could buy back. The limit for operations involving Treasury securities with maturities of 10–20 and 20–30 years was raised from a minimum of $2 B to $4 B. Market participants viewed the decision as a move toward easing financial conditions.
The new parameters will take effect on September 9 and remain in place through November 4.
Bitcoin’s Biggest Daily Gain
According to Glassnode, bitcoin’s daily close came in at 5.8 standard deviations relative to its own 30-day volatility. This was the largest upward move by this measure since October 2023.

