On-chain data shows Bitcoin open interest and estimated leverage ratio metrics have continued to rise recently. This could mean that a short squeeze may be coming soon.

Bitcoin Open Interest Rises Despite Decline In Price

As pointed out by an analyst in a CryptoQuant post, the BTC open interest has shown uptrend over the past month, despite the price of the crypto moving down.

The “open interest” is an indicator that measures the total amount of Bitcoin futures contracts that are currently open in the market.

When the value of the metric moves up, it means more investors are opening long or short contracts on derivative exchanges. This may mean that leverage is going up in the market, and thus such a trend can lead to higher volatility in the price of the crypto.

On the other hand, a decline in the metric suggests holders have started to close their positions. A plunge in the indicator happens when Bitcoin makes a strong price swing, forcing mass liquidations of the contracts.

Such liquidations cascade together and amplify the price move. This event is called a long or short squeeze, depending on which contracts make up the majority.

Related Reading | Bitcoin Fear And Greed Index Has Dipped To Lows Not Seen Since July

Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the Bitcoin open interest over the past year:

The indicator's value seems to be trending up | Source: CryptoQuant

As you can see in the above graph, the Bitcoin open interest has been going up, despite the price moving down. This is different from the trend around the $69k top as there longs made up the…