{"id":23151,"date":"2025-08-25T23:38:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T23:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/23151\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T23:38:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T23:38:15","slug":"bitcoin-risks-ending-its-bull-market-after-whale-sell-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/23151\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin Risks Ending Its Bull Market After Whale Sell-Off"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bitcoin (<a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/bitcoin-price\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BTC<\/a>) starts the last week of August far from all-time highs as traders become increasingly nervous.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>A huge long liquidation event brought $110,000 back into play as a new CME gap becomes a hope for bulls.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Bitcoin whales are under scrutiny after a giant rotation from BTC into ETH.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Smaller hodlers remain in accumulation mode, analysis reveals, unlike whales.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The latest BTC price action has resulted in talk of the entire bull market now being over.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The Fed\u2019s \u201cpreferred\u201d inflation gauge is due again as markets double down on rate-cut bets.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>BTC price weakness sparks talk of $100,000 retest<\/p>\n<p>Bitcoin is back at multi-week lows as August nears its end,\u00a0and market participants are busy drawing new BTC price targets.<\/p>\n<p>Data from <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/subscription.cointelegraph.com\/?_gl=1*enpnlb*_ga*MTE3NDE3MjgzMC4xNzE1NjcwODE1*_ga_53R24TEEB1*MTc0NDcyNDI2NS40MS4xLjE3NDQ3MjQyNjkuNTYuMC45MTY3MzAwMzI.\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cointelegraph Markets Pro<\/a> and <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tradingview.com\/symbols\/BTCUSD\/?exchange=BITSTAMP\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">TradingView<\/a> shows whipsaw BTC price action defining the market since Sunday\u2019s flash volatility.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e061-c43a-7f00-8cf0-e62da2d6db2a.png\" title=\"\"\/>BTC\/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph\/TradingView<\/p>\n<p>This took BTC\/USD to $110,700, its lowest levels since July 10 and a rude wake-up call for late longs.<\/p>\n<p>Monitoring resource <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coinglass.com\/LiquidationData\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">CoinGlass<\/a> put 24-hour crypto long liquidations at $640 million at the time of writing.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e059-ea93-7fb3-9b15-24c7e6ad290c.png\" title=\"\"\/>Crypto liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass<\/p>\n<p>Traders were split on the short-term outlook. While some eyed a retest of old all-time highs as a bounce point, others saw a more nuanced situation.<\/p>\n<p>Trader Daan Crypto Trades <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DaanCrypto\/status\/1959711031304823098\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">flagged<\/a> an \u201cimportant retest\u201d currently in progress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c$BTC Opened up with a large CME gap today,\u201d he <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DaanCrypto\/status\/1959870931318321468\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">noted<\/a>, referring to the weekend gap in CME Group\u2019s Bitcoin futures market.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cThis is the largest we&#8217;ve seen in several weeks. We have been opening up with gaps pretty often and most of these have been filling on Monday\/Tuesday.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e058-4f4d-7c24-be42-de9862afa4f2.jpeg\" title=\"\"\/>CME Bitcoin futures one-hour chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades\/X<\/p>\n<p>Fellow trader Jelle was among those seeing a trip to even lower levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBitcoin is still murdering leveraged traders around the range lows, and from the looks of it, the sharks are still hungry,\u201d he warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cWould really prefer price holds this area, or we&#8217;ll fall back into the previous range which would open us up to another retest of $100k.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e058-d58b-7deb-ab44-54e389a9398f.png\" title=\"\"\/>BTC liquidation heatmap. Source: CoinGlass<\/p>\n<p>CoinGlass exchange order-book data revealed little bid support in place immediately below the price into the week\u2019s first Wall Street open.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-wont-go-below-100k-this-cycle-145k-target-remains-analyst\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cointelegraph reported<\/a> on an analyst\u2019s conviction of over $100,000 staying in place, even unchallenged, as support.<\/p>\n<p>Bitcoin OG: Whale distribution \u201chealthy\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sunday\u2019s sudden BTC price dive brought Bitcoin whales back into focus.<\/p>\n<p>Current levels, still within 10% of all-time highs, have proven attractive to large players seeking to take profit on long-held coins.<\/p>\n<p>The weekend saw one entity sell a giant tranche of BTC after seven years, tanking the market $4,000 in minutes, a drop from which it has yet to recover.<\/p>\n<p>Data from crypto intelligence firm Arkham <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lookonchain\/status\/1959846685934551356\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">uploaded to X<\/a> by analytics account Lookonchain <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-whales-swap-btc-for-ether-trader-sees-eth-hitting-5-5k-next\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">showed the entity rotating<\/a> from Bitcoin into Ether.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past 5 days, they\u2019ve deposited ~22,769 $BTC($2.59B) to Hyperliquid for sale, then bought 472,920 $ETH($2.22B) spot and opened a 135,265 $ETH($577M) long,\u201d it summarized while relaying the BTC and ETH addresses involved.<\/p>\n<p>The entity\u2019s BTC is now worth around $11.4 billion, a profit margin of 1,675%.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo paper BTC conspiracies are required. The price has stalled because a number of whales have hit their magic number and are unloading,\u201d Bitcoin enthusiast Vijay Boyapati <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/real_vijay\/status\/1959786118456696888\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">commented<\/a> on the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cThis is healthy &#8211; their supply is finite and their selling is required for the full monetization of Bitcoin. Massive blocks of supply, with enormous purchasing power, are being distributed into the population. This cycle is one of the greatest monetization events in history.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e05a-b9d2-7c55-82ed-782e001e82c4.jpeg\" title=\"\"\/>BTC supply distribution by wallet entity. Source: Willy Woo\/X<\/p>\n<p>Statistician Willy Woo, who <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/bitcoin-og-willy-woo-btc-treasury-price-prediction-cointelegraph\/\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">made headlines<\/a> last month for his own BTC sales, underscored the sway that the oldest whales <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-flash-crash-blamed-crypto-whales-big-eth-trades\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">still have on market dynamics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is BTC moving up so slowly this cycle?\u201d he <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/woonomic\/status\/1959760960090235165\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">queried<\/a> alongside a chart.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cBTC supply is concentrated around OG whales who peaked their holdings in 2011 (orange and dark orange). They bought their BTC at $10 or lower. It takes $110k+ of new capital to absorb each BTC they sell.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-whales-sell-new-buyers-enter-market\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cointelegraph reported<\/a>, whale distribution has been evident throughout the latest phase of the bull run.<\/p>\n<p>Data from onchain analytics firm <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/studio.glassnode.com\/charts\/btc-address-count-whale?a=BTC&amp;zoom=all\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">Glassnode<\/a> confirmed that as of Sunday, there were 2,000 addresses with a balance of between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC, corresponding to all but the largest \u201cmega\u201d whales. This marked a new August high.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e05b-86ab-7f85-add8-36107abf8eb1.png\" title=\"\"\/>Bitcoin whale address count. Source: GlassnodeSmaller Bitcoin hodlers continue accumulating<\/p>\n<p>Looking into other wallet cohorts, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant sees reasons for bulls to stay hopeful about a rebound.<\/p>\n<p>Distribution, it warned Monday, is not yet in full swing across the Bitcoin investor spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter reaching its ATH at 124K, Bitcoin has entered a pullback phase,\u201d contributor BorisD summarized in one of its <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptoquant.com\/insights\/quicktake\/68ac0b85eb8bf52376382b5a-Bitcoins-Hidden-Breaking-Point-Is-105K-the-Last-Stronghold\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">Quicktake<\/a> blog posts, predicting that the retracement may \u201ccontinue for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unlike whales, smaller hodler classes have retained an overall \u201caccumulation\u201d mindset. Specifically, wallets holding up to 10 BTC continue to add exposure.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, those between 10 and 100 BTC display distribution behavior, having shifted to profit-taking en masse as the price hit $118,000.<\/p>\n<p>Between 100 and 1,000 BTC, market influence gains significance, BorisD says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile generally in accumulation mode, they have shown balance between accumulation and distribution since 105K, reflecting indecision,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cThis level acts as a critical support-turning zone.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e05c-4bdd-73da-8723-8c717b030d37.png\" title=\"\"\/>Bitcoin accumulation vs. distribution by wallet cohort (screenshot). Source: CryptoQuant<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to the relative size of the wallets involved, CryptoQuant described distribution as now being \u201cdominant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDistribution is still the dominant trend, but its intensity is weakening as Bitcoin pulls back,\u201d the post concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cThe 105K level stands out as the strongest zone. A move down to this region would create significant stress in the market and could trigger widespread fear.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Is the bull market \u201cover\u201d already?<\/p>\n<p>For some market participants, there was little reason to expect a full-on return of the Bitcoin bull market.<\/p>\n<p>Those already harboring conservative views of future price action have doubled down on their outlook as BTC\/USD fell to its lowest levels since early July.<\/p>\n<p>Among them is popular trader Roman, whose latest analysis warned that high-timeframe signals suggest that the best of the bull run has come and gone.<\/p>\n<p>As evidence, he cited a head and shoulders reversal pattern playing out, with the final third \u201cshoulder\u201d element still to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll we need is the reversal pattern setup to potentially take shorts. They\u2019ll get caught on the low volume pump once again,\u201d he <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Roman_Trading\/status\/1959802108183539928\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">forecast<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe $BTC bull run is over.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Before that, Roman and others had flagged <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/dip-buyers-stopped-the-train-5-things-bitcoin-this-week\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">declining volume<\/a> and weakening relative strength index (<a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/here-s-3-ways-the-relative-strength-index-rsi-can-be-used-as-a-sell-signal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/here-s-3-ways-the-relative-strength-index-rsi-can-be-used-as-a-sell-signal\">RSI<\/a>) data to support the thesis that Bitcoin had run out of steam. As price made new highs, RSI made lower highs, a classic <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-gets-95k-target-ugly-btc-price-candle-spoils-breakout\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bearish divergence setup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Late last week, citing <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/how-to-trade-crypto-using-wyckoff-accumulation-theory\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wyckoff analysis<\/a>, fellow trading account ZAYK Charts put the potential downside target for BTC\/USD at $95,000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c$BTC still moving exactly as Wyckoff predicted,\u201d it <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZAYKCharts\/status\/1958809183274299900\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">wrote<\/a> in an update.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e05d-90ee-7fbf-8d2b-d407935bed9f.jpeg\" title=\"\"\/>BTC\/USDT one-day chart. Source: ZAYK Charts\/XUS inflation battle lurks in the background<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Reserve\u2019s \u201cpreferred\u201d inflation gauge is due for release at a critical time for economic policy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<\/strong><a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/ethereum-price-all-time-highs-coinbase-security-bitcoin-hodlers-digest\/\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>ETH \u2018god candle,\u2019 $6K next? Coinbase tightens security: Hodler\u2019s Digest, Aug. 17 \u2013 23<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The July print of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, due Friday, will be of key importance to both Fed officials and markets seeking confirmation of interest-rate cuts next month.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, at its annual Jackson Hole symposium, Fed Chair Jerome Powell <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/bitcoin-hits-dollar116k-after-fed-s-powell-floats-rate-cut\" title=\"null\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">delivered a surprise pivot<\/a> on his previously hawkish stance. Risk assets immediately surged as hopes of a rate cut gained momentum.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the mood has cooled, with plenty of inflation data still to come before the rate decision in mid-September.<\/p>\n<p>The latest data from CME Group\u2019s <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cmegroup.com\/markets\/interest-rates\/cme-fedwatch-tool.html\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">FedWatch Tool<\/a> puts market odds of a 0.25% cut at nearly 90%.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0198e05f-9585-70a2-bb15-1126a62f79b0.png\" title=\"\"\/>Fed target rate probabilities for September FOMC meeting (screenshot). Source: CME Group FedWatch Tool<\/p>\n<p>Commenting, trading firm Mosaic Asset emphasized Powell\u2019s language and the Fed\u2019s changing approach to its 2% inflation target.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf abandoning average inflation targeting means the Fed is becoming less tolerant of inflation above the 2% target, then you wouldn\u2019t expect a dovish tone out of the Fed,\u201d it said in the latest edition of its regular newsletter, <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mosaicassetco.com\/p\/the-market-mosaic-82425\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">The Market Mosaic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\"><p>\u201cThat will make upcoming inflation and payrolls reports ahead of September\u2019s rate-setting meeting crucial datapoints for the Fed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Mosaic said that betting on multiple rate cuts might be \u201cmisplaced\u201d as a strategy going forward.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, Wednesday\u2019s Nvidia earnings may inject volatility into crypto and risk assets, with a strong performance expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNvidia is set to close out an overall strong earnings season with attention shifting to the Fed,\u201d trading resource The Kobeissi Letter <a data-ct-non-breakable=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KobeissiLetter\/status\/1959614443010007252\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"null\">summarized<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-content__disclaimer\" data-ct-non-breakable=\"undefined\" type=\"\">This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bitcoin (BTC) starts the last week of August far from all-time highs as traders become increasingly nervous. A&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175],"tags":[79,18,19,17,188],"class_list":{"0":"post-23151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-markets","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-markets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}