Bitcoin shorts are stacking! Is the CLARITY deadline about to crash the market?

There’s more than one way to make money in crypto trading. 

Notably, the recent Jane Street FUD really drove that point home. Their so-called “10 A.M. manipulation” caught the market’s eye, showing just how smart money can profit off sudden volatility.

Lately, Bitcoin’s [BTC] price action has been chopping in a tight range, giving institutions the perfect setup to push the market up or down. Combine that with negative funding rates, and shorts are piling up.

Put it all together, volatile price action and negative funding rates, and it makes sense to see this as a bullish setup. A short squeeze could easily push Bitcoin past $70k, catching anyone betting on the downside off guard.

That said, if the Jane Street FUD taught the market anything, it’s that not every cluster of heavy shorts means a squeeze is coming. Sometimes, it’s just big money looking for a chance to take profits before the next move.

This naturally brings up the question – Bitcoin’s stuck in a tight range, macro uncertainty is still hanging over the market, and shorts are piling up. So, is this the early signal of a squeeze, or is another BTC crash brewing?

Bitcoin shorts stack up ahead of the CLARITY deadline

Right now, institutional conviction in Bitcoin is trending bullish.

On the ETF side, flows have turned positive, with nearly $1 billion flowing in over the past three days alone. Add to that the Coinbase Premium Index flipping green, and it’s a clear signal that U.S investors are feeling risk-on.

Against this backdrop, Bitcoin’s deeply negative funding rates could spark a massive short squeeze, potentially pushing BTC past $70k at any moment. However, the bigger question is – What’s actually driving this bullish momentum among smart money?

Source: CryptoQuant

On the macro side, volatility is far from over. With the CLARITY Act coming up, regulatory uncertainty could easily supercharge price swings, keeping traders on edge and making every move feel amplified.

In this context, Bitcoin shorts start to feel less random and more strategic.

Heavy institutional flows, even in a risk-off mood, may be evidence of another Jane Street–style play. Come the CLARITY Act deadline, any surprise could spark a crash, showing that these short positions might just be smart money finding another way to profit off volatility.

Final Summary

• Recent Jane Street FUD means smart money can profit from volatility, and heavy Bitcoin shorts are often just strategic moves.
• With regulatory uncertainty, institutional flows could make volatility worse and keep crash risks alive.