Whale Transactions Hit Record Levels

Bitcoin whale transactions hit their highest levels since April during an outsized crypto market rout on August 5 and 6, according to on-chain data. In a post on X on August 8, on-chain analytics platform Santiment revealed that wallets with total holdings between 10 and 1,000 BTC rapidly accumulated on the price dip that saw crypto's top asset fall below $50,000.

According to Santiment, there were 28,319 BTC transactions worth more than $100,000 and 5,738 transactions worth more than $1 million on the two dates as crypto prices tanked. Bitcoin shed around 18% on August 5, plunging from just over $60,000 to below $50,000 in less than a day. However, it has since recovered slightly to reclaim the $57,000 level following the bout of dip buying.

Massive Accumulation by Whales

On August 7, Cointelegraph reported that Bitcoin whales, or permanent holder addresses, had scooped up almost $23 billion worth of the asset over the last 30 days, with activity peaking during the market crash. "It's clearly accumulation," said CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju, who reported that more than 400,000 BTC had moved to permanent holder addresses since early July.

He also mentioned that whales holding BTC for more than three years sold their holdings to new whales between March and June, but "There is no significant selling pressure from old whales at this time." On August 3, days before the big slump, Cointelegraph reported that whales were already moving Bitcoin off exchanges at the highest rate in nine years. Bitcoin whales with at least a thousand coins have moved the most BTC out of exchanges since 2015, according to the report.

ETF Outflows Raise Concerns

However, the same cannot be said for investors in United States spot Bitcoin ETFs, which saw aggregate outflows of $554 million between August 2 and 6, according to Farside Investors. "The absence of [ETF] buyers during this dip is alarming and raises concerns about the market's direction," noted market research firm 10x Research on August 8.

"The absence of [ETF] buyers during this dip is alarming and raises concerns about the market's direction," noted market research firm 10x Research on August 8.

The recent whale activity and ETF outflows paint a complex picture of the current Bitcoin market. While whales are accumulating, the lack of ETF buyer participation suggests caution among traditional investors. The coming weeks will be critical in determining the market's trajectory as stakeholders watch for further movements and signals.