Leverage Cascade Analysis
Leverage Cascade Analysis is the process of mapping out how liquidations in one part of the crypto ecosystem trigger further liquidations in other, connected parts. When a price drop hits a leveraged position, the protocol automatically liquidates that collateral, which often involves selling the asset into the market.
This selling pressure further lowers the price, triggering liquidations in other protocols that use the same or correlated assets as collateral. This feedback loop can quickly spiral, leading to a market-wide crash.
Analysts use this to identify which assets and protocols are most at risk during a downturn and to design better liquidation mechanisms that minimize market impact. It is a vital exercise for risk managers in decentralized finance to ensure that their protocols can survive extreme market stress without a total loss of user funds.