August 2025 — Global Leverage & Risk Report
First-hand data showing how traders planned leverage, set position sizes, and managed risk across crypto, forex, and equities. We tracked.
Unlike broker records that only reveal trades already placed, this report lifts the lid on how traders actually planned risk in advance. It draws from anonymized, first-party usage of Leverage.Trading’s calculators — the tools tens of thousands of traders reach for when panic spikes, positions wobble, and liquidation fears run high.
85% of Liquidation Checks Happened on Phones During Wildest Swings on Record
From July 14 to August 17, more than four out of five leveraged trades (85%) happened on mobile — the highest share on record. Traders weren’t sitting at desks; they were reacting on the move. The surge lined up with some of the summer’s wildest swings — Bitcoin’s July 17 spike past $120K, the Aug. 2 equity jolt, and BTC’s Aug. 5 whipsaw — showing how risk decisions were made on the go, thumb by thumb, as headlines hit.
Warning Signals Before the Crash
Liquidation Checks Spiked 23% as ETH Climbed Toward $4.4K
As Ether rallied toward $4,400 — catching up to Bitcoin’s surge — traders ramped up pre‑trade stress testing overnight. Traders prepared for coming volatility by running more stress tests — a classic defensive move before a major swing.
$6B Options Expiry Drove 13.7% Surge in Liquidation Safety Checks
A gargantuan $6 billion in BTC/ETH options expired (max-pain at $118K), triggering stressed risk recalibration. U.S. traders hammered margin tools with prolonged trading sessions — an hourglass full of tension.
Panic Peaked With a 28.5% One-Day Surge in Liquidation Checks
The day after options expiry — smack in the falloff swirl — traders blitzed liquidation checks. It was the sharpest single-day spike yet. It marked the sharpest one-day surge in defensive checks so far.
Traders Piled Into Risk Checks Hours Before $576M in Liquidations
On the eve of a $576 million liquidation wave (Bitcoin slid from $124K to $115K on macro fear), pre‑trade liquidation checks peaked. This was not by accident — traders saw the storm forming.
Key Findings (Last 30 Days)
Aggregated, anonymized first-party usage signals from 14 Jul → 14 Aug.
Traders Ran 5x More Liquidation Checks Hours Before $1.29B Wipeout
On July 10, liquidation checks looked normal. By July 11, they were 5x higher — hours before Bitcoin’s $1.29B short wipeout.
On July 10, everything looked calm. By July 11, liquidation checks were 5x higher — just before Bitcoin’s $1.29B short wipeout. Traders in India, Türkiye, and the U.S. rushed into calculators, doubling their scenario tests in a frantic bid to see how much pain they could survive.
Southeast Asia Braced for $300M Hit
As Bitcoin rocketed to $120K on July 14 then plunged back the next day, traders in Vietnam and the Philippines nearly doubled their stop-loss checks. The activity shows traders bracing for the $300M+ wipeouts that followed, testing how close they were to the edge.
Defensive Moves Surged Before $500M Liquidations
Press wrote: “$500M liquidated.”
Our data: 23% spike in risk-checks two days before.
Between July 24–26, global liquidation checks surged 23% — right before Bitcoin’s $5K intraday swing and $500M in liquidations. Headlines later said: “$500M liquidated.” Our data shows traders saw the storm coming and scrambled to adjust before it broke.
80% of Liquidation Safety Checks Came From Phones in the Hours Before the $1.29B Short Squeeze
As Bitcoin ripped through $120K on July 10–11, traders rushed to their phones — with over 80% of liquidation safety checks coming from mobile. Traders hammered their phones, frantically running “what-if” scenarios before the $1.29B wipeout tore through shorts the next day.
Turkish Traders Rushed Into High Leverage as Lira Collapsed to Record Lows (July 18–19)
On July 18–19, while the lira slid toward record lows, Turkish traders piled into leveraged Bitcoin bets. Activity spiked 12%, the sharpest among emerging markets, showing locals turning panic into high-risk wagers right as the currency cracked.
U.S. Traders Scrambled Into Leverage Bets Hours After Tariff Truce Sparked Market Rally
Right after Washington announced a tariff truce on July 31, U.S. traders went all-in on leverage. In the first days of August, use jumped 9% — the fastest rise anywhere — as traders scrambled to ride the S&P 500 rally, pressing bets higher before the market’s sharpest gains in weeks.
Regional Analysis
14 July → 14 August comparisonsMethodology
Findings are based on aggregated, anonymized first-party telemetry collected from trading tool interactions between July 14 – August 17, 2025. Metrics tracked include device type, country of origin, and depth of engagement, weighted by session intensity. Data reflects actual usage of calculators across crypto, forex, and equities.
Unlike broker data that only shows completed trades, this dataset captures trader behavior before orders are placed — how they plan, size, and test positions. It provides a rare upstream view into the decision-making that drives market activity.
Coverage
The report reflects behavior from 27,416 unique traders across 94 countries during the last 30 days, with more than 1.41 million trade setups analyzed. Patterns include both retail and professional users, spanning all major time zones.