Bitcoin Smashes Through the $86,000 Short Wall—Now the Real Test Begins

By Isaac • September 22, 2026 11:23 am •

Bitcoin just blasted through the short wall that had kept the market pinned down for months. The easy part of the squeeze may already be over.

The largest cryptocurrency traded as high as $87,363 before easing toward $85,824, its strongest move since January. The advance cleared resistance around $86,000 and forced bearish traders to buy back positions as prices rose.

CryptoSlate reports that roughly $1 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated during the move, including about $417 million over the latest 24-hour window. Bitcoin accounted for roughly $276 million of those liquidations, while Ethereum contributed another $171 million.

That forced buying helped Bitcoin punch through a zone where bearish exposure had built for months. Open