About $102 million in leveraged crypto positions were forcibly closed over 24 hours on February 21, 2026, with short positions accounting for $74.11 million, according to Coinglass data reported by Chaincatcher via KuCoin news. Long liquidations totaled $27.5 million, leaving short losses more than twice as large. Bitcoin short liquidations reached $23.54 million and Ethereum’s totaled $10.90 million, while more than 56,000 traders had positions liquidated. The largest individual event was an $8.5 million SOL-USD position on Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives exchange. Forced short closures can intensify price gains because exchanges must buy the asset to close those positions, creating conditions for a short squeeze. The $102 million total was well below a $648 million liquidation episode during a September stretch, but the event highlighted aggressive leverage and the growing visibility of large liquidations on decentralized venues.