‘Don’t Trust Fake Pumps’: Ted Pillows on Crypto Bloodbath

Amid the bullish outlook of the broader cryptocurrency market, Ted Pillows, a vocal entrepreneur and investor, has dropped a word of caution. In an update shared on his X handle, Pillows noted that there have been intense losses, with $50 billion wiped out in the last 24 hours.

Fake pumps and liquidation signals raise red flags

According to Pillows, for the crypto market to record such a huge loss within a short period signals the beginning of more downturns. Pillows warned investors not to “trust fake pumps this week” as the market continues to recover despite the general outlook.

Notably, fake pumps refer to sudden short-term price increases driven by hype and not real demand on the market. Pillows warns that the current price increase across different crypto assets might not persist for long before it begins to nosedive again.

$50,000,000,000 wiped out in the last 24 hours.

This is just the beginning.

Don’t trust fake pumps this week. In my view, the trend is headed down. pic.twitter.com/1ebCirXS28

— Ted (@TedPillows) September 16, 2025

He is projecting that crypto assets might continue to dip in price as the $50 billion loss was “just the beginning.” Pillows insists that the general direction for prices remains negative.

The analyst shared a liquidation heat map of assets in the red to show that the market downturn is building. Interestingly, September has not really been a great month for crypto projects. It is usually a slow month before the much-anticipated October rally.

Federal Reserve and expected impact

In July 2025, the crypto market witnessed a similar bloodbath, with $585 million wiped out within 24 hours. At the time, Ethereum was the most affected asset in the liquidation that occurred. Currently, capital rotation favors altcoins, and it remains to be seen how the losses will spread.

Despite Pillows’ bearish outlook, the broader financial market could play a significant role in turning things around. For instance, there is high anticipation that the U.S Federal Reserve might cut rates on Sept. 17.

Such development could spark a positive effect on the crypto market and reverse whatever bearish signals Pillows might have seen.

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