Ether bulls bleed 170 million as liquidations rock altcoin market

The ether market just got a wake-up call that cost leveraged traders a cool $170 million. As Bitcoin struggles to maintain its footing above the $62,000 level, the resulting spillover has turned a slight dip into a full-blown liquidation event for Ethereum longs. This isn't just a rounding error; it's a massive flush of optimistic bets that leaves the second-largest cryptocurrency dangling at a critical psychological support. Investors are watching the tape closely as the selling pressure shows no sign of letting up. When the dust settles, we'll see if buyers have the stomach to step back in or if this is the start of a deeper slide toward the yearly lows. The big question now is whether ETH can decouple from Bitcoin's gravity or if it's destined to follow the leader into the red. Will the bulls find their footing before the next exchange refresh?