- Bitcoin fell below $88,000 this week as macro tensions drove renewed market volatility.
- Bitcoin whales and sharks add $3.2 billion in BTC over the past nice days.
- Large-holder accumulation diverges from retail exits amid heightened volatility.
Bitcoin (BTC) whales and shark holders have continued to accumulate over the past nine days, even as smaller retail investors reduce their exposure, signaling what Santiment describes as “optimal conditions” for a potential breakout.
This divergence between large and small holders comes amid heightened volatility, with Bitcoin erasing nearly all its 2026 gains.
Smart Money Builds Bitcoin Positions as Retail Investors Exit
After a challenging end to 2025, the new year began on a positive note for Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency gained more than 7% in the first five days of January, supported by renewed optimism across risk assets. However, the momentum was short-lived, as market turbulence soon returned.
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Despite a brief recovery last week, broader market conditions deteriorated again after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs targeting 8 nations in the European Union (EU), sparking renewed uncertainty. The news pressured risk assets and contributed to another downturn in the crypto market.
BeInCrypto Markets data showed that BTC has declined by 6.25% over the past week. Yesterday, it fell below the $88,000 level for the first time since the beginning of the year.
At the time of writing, the largest cryptocurrency was trading at $89,329, down 3.31% over the past 24 hours.
Despite the volatility, whales and sharks have continued to increase exposure. Data from Santiment shows that wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have acquired 36,322 coins, worth $3.2 billion at current market prices, over the past nine days. This marks a 0.27% increase in holdings for large investors.
This accumulatio