Bitcoin Whales Cash Out, Retail Doubles Down – BTC Ownership Structure Faces Major Flip

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In a shocking and devastating development, the price of Bitcoin has fallen back to the key $100,000 price mark after months of trading above the level. BTC’s ongoing robust decline has triggered a wave of uncertainty in the market, causing large investors to offload their coins. However, short-term or retail investors are unfazed by the drop as they go on a BTC buying spree.

A Difference In Action Between Big And Small Bitcoin Investors

As the Bitcoin price continues its downward move back to key support levels, a stark difference has been observed among large and small investors. Amid the ongoing wave of volatility, large BTC holders or whales continue to dump their holdings, triggering speculation about short-term uncertainty among dominant holders.

At the same time, small investors have accumulated at a significant rate, a move that indicates that these investors are viewing the ongoing downward trend as an ideal entry point. Santiment, a leading on-chain data analytics platform, shared this discrepancy between the two sets of investors on the X platform, which reflects a shift in BTC ownership.

Santiment stated by pointing to BTC’s bearish price action, falling to the $101,000 level. A move that has sparked worries among traders that the flagship asset may fall below the $100,000 threshold for the first time since June 22.

During this persistent price decline, whales and sharks have sold 38,366 BTC since October 12, resulting in a -0.28% decrease in their total holdings. This sell-off is observed among wallet addresses containing between 10 and 10,000 BTC, a group that collectively holds over 68.5% of BTC’s overall supply.

Meanwhile, shrimp with less than 0.01 BTC have amassed 415 BTC within the same time frame, indicating a +0.85% growth in their positions. Specifically, these are wallet addresses holding just 0.25% of the total supply of BTC. Santiment highlighted that bulls must witness a complete reversal of this trend in order to anticipate a long-term price increase for all cryptocurrencies. The reason is that markets tend to rise when key stakeholders accumulate BTC that smaller holders shed.

In the meantime, the platform claims that shrimp or micro traders need to display capitulation and fear, which will cause them to lose patience and sell off their coins at a loss, allowing whales to resume accumulation. When this happens, which Santiment strongly believes will occur, it will indicate a market bottom and the best opportunity to purchase. 

BTC Among Top Trending Cryptos

According to Santiment’s data, Bitcoin is among the leading trending assets in the market. This is because the asset closed October in the red for the first time since 2018, ending its long winning streak. Also, bears have exerted pressure on the market with massive sell-offs from whales and long-term holders.

Even though BTC began November on a bearish note, historical data suggest that this month usually precedes strong gains. However, Santiment urges traders to be cautious and watch for signs of a bullish reversal.

Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

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