Futures trading involves the use of leverage, meaning traders can take large long/short position by depositing a relatively small amount of money, called a margin, with the exchange providing the rest of the value. That exposes futures traders to liquidations – forced closure of long/short positions due to margin shortages often caused by the market moving against the direction of the levered bet.
Source: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/07/18/levered-bullish-longs-getting-liquidated-as-bitcoin-market-softens/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines