When Crypto Markets Break: Liquidations, Leverage, and Markets Under Stress

In this episode, we examine what actually happens when crypto markets break — how leverage builds beneath the surface, liquidity disappears, and liquidation cascades turn volatility into systemic failure. Doug Colkitt, a quantitative trader and DeFi builder whose experience spans both traditional finance and crypto market structure. Doug began his career on Wall Street at Citigroup before moving into high-frequency trading at Citadel during the 2008 financial crisis. He later built and traded his own systems across futures, volatility products, and international equities, including running a major market-making operation in Turkish stocks. Today, Doug focuses on crypto and DeFi infrastructure, working with perpetual futures, liquidation mechanics, and exchange design. We discuss why traders still get wiped out when they think they’re hedged, how liquidation cascades accelerate, and what recent market failures reveal about leverage and market structure under stress. Links +Resources: Ambient Finance on X (Twitter): @AmbientFinance Website: https://ambient.finance Sponsor of Chat With Traders Podcast: ●       Trade The Pool:  ⁠⁠http://www.tradethepool.com⁠⁠    Time Stamps: Please note: Exact times will vary depending on current ads. 00:00:00  Intro and Background 00:03:43  Starting Individual Trading and High Frequency Systems 00:04:09  Focus on Index Futures and Competitive Markets 00:06:15  Michael Lewis's 'Flash Boys' and HFT Accuracy 00:07:00  Impact of HFT on Smaller Traders 00:09:13  Market Makers and Price Competition 00:09:37  HFT Evolution and Market Dynamics 00:11:24  Trading VIX Futures and Market Inefficiencies 00:13:08  Transitioning to Medium Frequency Trading 00:13:34  Trading Turkish Equities and Market Makings 00:15:35  Exploring Cryptocurrency Trading 00:18:32  Diving into Decentralized Finance (DeFi) 00:20:06  Arbitrage Opportunities in Crypto Markets 00:22:00  Flash Loans and Risk-Free Trading