Bitcoin rallied to $74,000 on March 4, 2026 amid geopolitical tensions but has retraced nearly 10% to about $67,830 (≈4% down in 24h). Aggregated liquidation heatmap flags a concentrated 'hot' zone near $54,000 (around BTC's realized price) that could liquidate over $70 million of long positions, raising long-squeeze and leverage risk. Bearish market structure and high leverage mean potential CEX/DEX liquidations could amplify downside and worsen market sentiment for crypto.

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Over the past few days, the Bitcoin price has had one of its better performances so far in the first quarter of 2026. Catalyzed by the rising geopolitical tensions between US-Isreal and Iran, the premier cryptocurrency climbed to $74,000 over the past week.

However, the Bitcoin price did not take long before retreating back below the psychological $70,000 level, confirming that the latest rally was merely a relief. With the bearish market structure still in place, it remains to be seen how low the price of BTC will go in its current phase.

$70 Million Worth Of Longs At Risk Of Liquidation

In a new post on the social media platform X, crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed why a further decline to around $54,000 in the remaining period of this phase is possible and could be bad news for both investors and the Bitcoin price. Hence, the $54,000 mark could be an extremely pivotal region for the flagship cryptocurrency in this bear market.

Martinez’s evaluation revolves around the Aggregated Liquidation Levels Heatmap metric, which visualizes price zones with high concentrations of long or short liquidations. As expected, the red (hot) color on the map signifies a concentrated liquidation point of several high-leverage positions, often with high liquidity.

A drop to $54,000 could liquidate over $70 million in Bitcoin $BTC long positions. pic.twitter.com/Ar66Q3Cd20

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) March 7, 2026

These high-liquidity spots often have a somewhat magnetic effect, with prices often drawn to them. According to Martinez, this “hot” zone for the Bitcoin price lies around the $54,000 mark, with over $70 million worth of long positions at risk of liquidation.

Ordinarily, a Bitcoin price drop to around $54,000 would do extra damage to the already low market sentiment. Meanwhile, from a technical perspective, the significant liquidation cascade likely to occur at that level could lead to a phenomenon called a “Long Squeeze,” where the flagship cryptocurrency continues its decline with renewed momentum.

For clarity, a Long Squeeze typically occurs when the falling price of a cryptocurrency (in this case, Bitcoin) forces bull traders to sell their assets either to cut losses or to break even. This sell-off catalyzes the ongoing bearish reaction and sends the BTC price further downwards.

Ultimately, the $54,000 region, which is also around the realized price, appears to be one of the most critical levels for the Bitcoin price trajectory over the next few months.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $67,830, reflecting an over 4% decline in the past 24 hours. Since reaching its one-month high around $74,000 on Wednesday, March 4, the premier cryptocurrency has retraced by nearly 10%.