A Single SK Hynix Trade Wiped Out $60 Million in Crypto Bets – Here's What Happened

The crypto industry learned an expensive lesson this week when a Korean chip manufacturer’s shares suddenly dropped.

At the start of trading in Seoul on Tuesday, SK Hynix Inc. shares slumped 30% below their closing price the night before. The cause? A single share changing hands in the pre-market session at what appears to have been a rogue price. While subsequent trades were significantly higher, they came too late for a set of traders operating in an alternative world outside of public markets.

This incident highlights the fragility of leveraged crypto positions tied to traditional market events. The sudden drop triggered liquidations in crypto derivatives markets, resulting in $60 million in losses for traders who had bet on the stock's performance via synthetic assets or futures.