Bitcoin gained roughly 25-30% in August, its best performance for the month since 2017, rallying from lows near $62,000-$64,000 to briefly top $81,000 before settling around $78,000-$79,000. A record $2.75 billion in single-day short liquidations and $1.92 billion in weekly ETF inflows drove the move, though the asset remains well below its 2025 peak.
Bitcoin just turned its worst month into its best one. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap gained roughly 25-30% in August. It climbed from early-month lows near $62,000-$64,000 to briefly surpass $81,000 before settling around $78,000-$79,000 by August 30.
That makes it Bitcoin's strongest August since 2017, when the asset surged roughly 65% in the same month and kicked off one of crypto's most iconic bull runs. The result is unusual because August is typically a weak month for Bitcoin — since 2013, the median return for the month sits at approximately negative 7%.
A record liquidation cascade
This year broke that pattern with violent moves. A single day saw $2.75 billion in short liquidations, a record-setting cascade that forcibly closed bearish positions and accelerated the rally.
Several factors converged to produce the breakout. Expanded liquidity expectations tied to US Treasury bond buyback results gave macro-sensitive traders a reason to get aggressive. Bitcoin also breached its 200-day moving average at approximately $69,000, a level many algorithmic and systematic strategies use as a signal.
Institutional money keeps flowing in
US spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $1.92 billion in inflows during the rally week alone. The buying came through institutional channels, through regulated products that pension funds and wealth managers can actually touch.
Despite the gain, Bitcoin remains down roughly 28-33% year-to-date as of late August. The asset is still trading well below its 2025 peak near $126,000, with the $79,000 price sitting about 37% below that level.
The 2017 comparison cuts both ways. That year's August surge preceded a run that took Bitcoin from around $4,700 to nearly $20,000 by December, but 2017's market had no ETFs and far less institutional participation. Resistance near the $81,000 level Bitcoin briefly touched will be the first real test of whether this rally marks a genuine inflection point or just a sharp bear market relief move.
Source: Crypto Briefing
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
