Trader Turns $125K Into $43M, Loses $42M in Ethereum Crash

• Ethereum trader identified as 0x15b3 faces dramatic rise and fall.
• Market-wide selloff wipes $120 billion from crypto capitalization.

On August 20, 2025, Cryptopolitan reported that an Ethereum trader, identified on-chain as 0x15b3, turned an initial investment of $125,000 into a staggering $43 million over four months, only to lose nearly all gains in a volatile downturn. The trader relied heavily on leveraged long positions on Hyperliquid, a decentralized exchange, to achieve this meteoric rise.

The portfolio, distributed across cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Chainlink, was hit hard when Ethereum’s price plummeted, triggering liquidations of the trader’s leveraged positions. Although 0x15b3 initially secured $7 million, subsequent leveraged trades resulted in further losses, leaving the trader with a final balance of approximately $771,000.

The case underscores the high-risk nature of leverage in cryptocurrency trading. Ethereum saw the highest rate of liquidations among all assets in the past 24 hours, primarily affecting long positions, according to Cryptopolitan.

This trader’s losses coincided with a market-wide selloff that erased $120 billion from crypto capitalization, which dropped to a two-week low of $3.86 trillion. Ethereum dipped below $4,100, and Bitcoin fell to a 17-day low, trading under $113,000.

The downturn was attributed to broader macroeconomic concerns as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium. Market sentiment turned bearish amid speculation over potential delays in anticipated interest rate cuts, impacting cryptocurrencies and other risk-sensitive assets.

As of August 20, 2025, 15:08 UTC, Ethereum (ETH) is trading at $4,271.40, with a 2.2% increase in 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap. Hyperliquid (HYPE) is trading at $41.82, showing a 1.4% decrease as of 15:09 UTC.