Dogecoin surged more than 14% on September 21, but this time there was no Elon Musk post, major Dogecoin announcement or other obvious DOGE-specific catalyst behind the move.
Instead, the rally unfolded during a market-wide short squeeze that liquidated approximately $795 million of leveraged crypto positions, the overwhelming majority of them bearish bets.
DOGE traded from an intraday low of $0.08536 to a high of $0.09784, before changing hands around $0.0957 later in the session. Twenty-four-hour trading volume climbed to approximately $1.84 billion, according to CoinGecko data cited in contemporary market reports.
The move occurred alongside an even more consequential Bitcoin rally. Bitcoin climbed from around $81,000 to above $85,000 and eventually traded beyond $86,000, reaching its highest level since January.
$668 Million in Shorts Were Forced Out
Derivatives positioning helps explain why the rally accelerated so quickly.
CoinGlass data captured during the September 21 session showed approximately $795 million in total crypto liquidations, involving more than 119,000 traders. Roughly $667.7 million, or 84%, involved short positions, compared with $127.3 million in liquidated longs.
Over the preceding 12 hours alone, short liquidations reached $503.8 million. The largest individual liquidation reported at the time was an approximately $11.3 million BTC-USDT position on Binance.
That imbalance matters because liquidating a short position generally requires buying back the underlying exposure. When prices rise rapidly through heavily shorted levels, forced purchases can push prices higher, triggering another layer of liquidations and creating a self-reinforcing short squeeze.
Bitcoin was the initial driver. It gained more than 5% as at least $648 million of bearish crypto positions were wiped out, according to separate CoinGlass data reported by CoinDesk and The Block.
Dogecoin then amplified the broader move, as higher-beta crypto assets frequently do during sharp risk-on sessions.
DOGE Had Leverage of Its Own
The $795 million figure represents market-wide liquidations, not $795 million of Dogecoin positions — an important distinction.
DOGE nevertheless showed its own derivatives build-up. CoinDesk reported Dogecoin up roughly 10% during an earlier snapshot of the rally while its futures open interest had increased 15%, indicating traders were adding leveraged exposure rather than simply closing existing positions.
Separate derivatives data showed four large addresses opening long positions totaling 78.2 million DOGE, worth approximately $5.59 million, while long-to-short account ratios on Binance and OKX rose to 2.30 and 2.65 respectively.
The episode is notable because Dogecoin’s largest historical moves are frequently associated with Musk, whose comments and posts have repeatedly generated abrupt swings in the meme coin.
No comparable Musk-driven catalyst accompanied Monday’s surge.
Instead, DOGE benefited from a combination of Bitcoin breaking higher, widespread short liquidations, rising derivatives positioning and renewed demand for higher-risk crypto assets.
That distinction changes how the 14% move should be interpreted. Rather than a standalone Dogecoin event, September 21 was principally a market-structure rally: Bitcoin initiated the move, leveraged shorts provided forced buying, and Dogecoin’s higher volatility magnified the resulting momentum.