Whales and 'sharks' accumulated 36,322 BTC while retail sold, Santiment says

Analysts at Santiment said Bitcoin whales and "sharks" accumulated 36,322 BTC over the past nine days even as retail investors dumped, according to the firm. The comment came after Bitcoin fell 4.55% in 24 hours and was trading at $89,110 at the time of publication. Santiment said wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC — described as "smart money" — accumulated $3.21 billion in Bitcoin between Jan.

10 and Jan. 19, while retail wallets holding less than 0.01 BTC offloaded 132 BTC ($11.66 million) over the same period. Bitcoin is up 0.93% over the past 30 days. "Bitcoin’s whales & sharks continue to accumulate," Santiment said in an X post. "Optimal conditions for a crypto breakout are when smart money accumulates and retail dumps," it added.

The article noted political-driven volatility, saying Bitcoin has experienced swings whenever the US president has floated new tariffs since his January 2024 inauguration. It said the pattern repeated on Monday, when discussions of imposing tariffs on eight European countries as part of a push to claim Greenland coincided with Bitcoin falling almost 7%.

Other indicators showed caution and a Bitcoin focus: the Crypto Fear & Greed Index posted a "fear" score of 32, and the Altcoin Season Index gave a "Bitcoin Score" of 29 out of 100. Santiment pointed to a surge in social-media discussion, including comparisons to metals like gold and silver, which reached new all-time highs on Monday amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Key Topics

Crypto, Bitcoin, Santiment, Whales, Retail Wallets, Altcoin Season Index