Several crypto whales have offloaded a massive $3.4 billion worth of Bitcoin in December, signaling a major shift in market sentiment. These major players sold approximately 36,500 BTC, primarily when prices hovered between $88,000 and $94,000. It’s no coincidence. The selling came from the big boys – holders with 10,000 to 100,000 BTC in their wallets. They’ve clearly switched from hoarding coins to dumping them.
We’ve seen this movie before. Back on December 17, 2024, when Bitcoin peaked at $108,000, the same thing happened. Whales with 1,000 to 10,000 BTC unloaded 79,000 coins, triggering a 15% nosedive. Those same traders weren’t done, though. They scooped up 34,000 BTC once prices dropped below $95,000. Smart money knows when to fold ’em.
History repeats itself. Whale dumps trigger crashes, then they scoop up discounted coins. Classic market manipulation.
Not everyone’s selling. Wallets holding at least 1,000 BTC actually added 104,340 coins recently, bringing their total to 7.17 million BTC. This accumulation has pushed whale holdings to the highest level since September 15, 2025. Mid-sized holders poured in $3.21 billion worth. Meanwhile, small retail wallets dumped a measly 132 BTC. Typical – whales splash around while minnows panic.
The whale position tracker shows mixed signals. Their total positions sit at $5.51 billion, slightly favoring shorts at 52.43% versus 47.57% in longs. Yet they’re putting more margin behind those long positions. Weird, right? The disparity between positioning and margin reflects whale caution rather than strong market conviction.
Recent activity logs show some interesting moves. One address opened a $33.18 million long at $88,030, while others placed substantial Ethereum shorts worth over $184 million combined. Despite Ethereum’s historical 61.45% spike in just one month, these whales are betting on a correction.
The selling pressure that started at the $94,000 resistance level appears to be cooling in early January 2026. ETFs just saw $400 million in net inflows on January 5 alone, and El Salvador added another $100 million to its national stash.
Bottom line? The big whales are still selling, but ETFs, corporations, and retail buyers are stepping up. Markets hate this kind of tension, but that’s crypto for you.
