---
title: "Bitcoin Slides Toward $76,000 as Tech Slump Triggers $428M in Liquidations"
description: "A tech-led rout and concerns over AI data center scrutiny erased Wednesday's post-election rally, liquidating $428 million in crypto longs within an hour."
url: https://basisdesk.news/news/bitcoin-slides-tech-rout-crypto-liquidations
published: 2026-11-05T16:41:36.440Z
modified: 2026-11-05T16:41:36.440Z
section: Bitcoin
author: Basis Desk Newsroom (AI-generated, source-verified)
sentiment: bearish
tickers: [BTC, ETH, USDT]
tags: [bitcoin, liquidations, nasdaq, ai, clarity-act, midterms]
license: Quote with attribution to Basis Desk (basisdesk.news). Not financial advice.
---

# Bitcoin Slides Toward $76,000 as Tech Slump Triggers $428M in Liquidations

A tech-led rout and concerns over AI data center scrutiny erased Wednesday's post-election rally, liquidating $428 million in crypto longs within an hour.

## At a glance

- **What happened:** Bitcoin dropped toward $76,000, liquidating $428 million in long positions within an hour as tech shares retreated.
- **Why it matters:** The drop erased the post-election breakout and highlighted continued crypto vulnerability to tech valuations and liquidity shocks.
- **Who is affected:** Leveraged crypto traders, digital asset infrastructure firms, and market makers.
- **What's next:** The release of the October jobs report on Friday and the Federal Reserve's rate decision in December.
- **Primary source:** [Bitcoin Erases Election Rally as AI Stocks Plunge, $428 Million in Crypto Longs Get Wiped Out](https://decrypt.co/382612/bitcoin-erases-election-rally-ai-stocks-plunge-428-million-crypto-longs) — decrypt.co

## Key points

- Bitcoin fell to roughly $76,500, triggering $428 million in crypto long liquidations in one hour [1].
- A broader technology selloff saw the Nasdaq slide nearly 4% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index drop about 8% [1].
- Democratic control of Congress and local data center curbs threaten AI capacity buildouts and the Clarity Act's momentum [1].

## Editorial remark

- **Context:** Wednesday's brief rally above $80,000 relied heavily on a $378 million short squeeze rather than sustained spot accumulation, leaving markets exposed to broader macro weakness.
- **Impact:** Derivatives traders took the brunt of the downturn via forced liquidations, while infrastructure firms face headwinds from local building limits and legislative uncertainty.
- **Watch:** The upcoming October jobs report on Friday, followed by the Federal Reserve's December interest rate decision and the January seating of the new Congress.

Bitcoin reversed its post-election breakout on Thursday, dropping toward $76,000 as a steep selloff across equity markets spread to digital assets [1]. The sudden decline triggered roughly $428 million in long crypto liquidations within a single hour, according to CoinGlass figures reported by Decrypt [1]. At the time of writing, $BTC traded at $76,606, down 5.0% over the trailing 24 hours, while $ETH fell nearly 7% to $2,266.

The decline followed a brief surge above $80,000 on Wednesday, an advance driven largely by a short squeeze that wiped out approximately $378 million in short positions in an hour [1]. However, that repositioning unwound swiftly on Thursday as automated forced selling compounded market losses, dragging nearly 90% of the top 100 digital assets into the red [1]. Digital asset markets had already shed an estimated $300 billion over the preceding month, pressured by borrowing costs and fallout from a recent multibillion-dollar Binance exploit [1].

## Tech Equities and Legislative Headwinds

Broader market sentiment soured as technology shares tumbled, with the Nasdaq falling nearly 4% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index sinking roughly 8% [1]. Investors reassessed the profitability of high artificial intelligence capital expenditures following the US midterm elections, in which Democrats took control of Congress [1]. Voters in at least 29 jurisdictions supported restrictions on data center construction, leading UBS to estimate that potential moratoria could imperil up to 30% of planned 2028 US data center capacity additions, according to Reuters [1]. Shares of CoreWeave, Nebius, and Tesla all posted substantial declines [1].

The altered legislative landscape also introduces friction for digital asset regulatory proposals in Washington, D.C. [1]. Democratic control of Congress creates hurdles for advancing the stalled Clarity Act, the market structure legislation intended to establish a federal framework for crypto [1]. The incoming Congress is scheduled to convene in January, while market participants turn their near-term attention to the Friday release of the October jobs report and expectations surrounding a potential Federal Reserve interest rate increase in December [1].

## Sources

1. [Bitcoin Erases Election Rally as AI Stocks Plunge, $428 Million in Crypto Longs Get Wiped Out](https://decrypt.co/382612/bitcoin-erases-election-rally-ai-stocks-plunge-428-million-crypto-longs) — decrypt.co, 2026-11-05

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Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified · https://basisdesk.news/about/how-we-use-ai
