Bitcoin Under Pressure as Small Investors Flee: What’s Next for the Crypto Giant?

Bitcoin faces mounting pressure as retail investors pull back—testing the resilience of the world's largest cryptocurrency.

Market Shakeout Underway

Small-scale holders are exiting positions, sparking concerns over short-term volatility. The move highlights ongoing fragility among casual participants—the same crowd that typically rushes in at all-time highs and panics on dips. Classic.

Despite the sell-off, Bitcoin's core infrastructure remains unshaken. Mining activity continues, institutional holders stay put, and the network hums along—proof that weak hands don’t define the asset’s real value.

Finance traditionalists are already sneering—but then again, they also thought the internet was a fad.

In brief

• The number of active Bitcoin addresses falls to 692,000, below the statistical threshold.
• Transfer volumes rise to $10.3 billion, fueled by market whales.
• Bitcoin transaction fees drop by 17%, revealing small holders’ disengagement.
• ETFs record a $1 billion outflow, marking a clear institutional pause.

Bitcoin: crypto rift between whales and small holders

The gap widens. This week, the BTC network saw the number of active addresses drop to 692,000. That’s a 2.2% decrease, below the lower statistical threshold. Meanwhile, on-chain volume jumps by 7.8%, reaching $10.3 billion. Who keeps moving so much? Whales, of course.

Transaction fees plunged by 17%, a sign of massive retail disengagement. Less pressure on blocks, hence fewer movements from the small holders. The trend is similar on the institutional side: American crypto ETFs record $1 billion in net outflows.

As Glassnode summarizes:

On-chain demand weakened as activity declined, profits faded, and caution grew among traders and institutions.

Fear also spreads in wallets. NUPL drops to 5%, the share of the supply in profit falls to 91%. The euphoric sentiment evaporates, slowly but surely.

Crypto strategies: whales prepare their offensive in silence

In market troughs, strategies take shape. The apparent calm is a facade. For savvy actors, every bitcoin pullback is an opening. They advance quietly, but methodically.

The five signs of a strategic crypto repositioning:

• Active addresses at the lowest: 692,000 on the network;
• Volumes up despite the drop: $10.3 billion traded;
• Fees down: -17%, a breathing network;
• Negative ETF flows: $1 billion withdrawn in one week;
• NUPL at 5%: end of speculative euphoria.

The Glassnode report supports this change:

Market structure shifted from euphoria to fragility. Spot and futures show weakened momentum, options signal a need for hedging, and ETF flows reveal institutional caution.

Even the Realized Cap indicator confirms this slow accumulation. Its 3.2% rise shows a moderate but steady recovery. Behind the scenes, levers adjust, plans form. When the rebound comes, they will already be in place.

While Bitcoin now seems captive to strong hands, another dynamic deserves attention: during sharp drops, billions migrate from BTC to Ethereum. Whales MOVE their tokens, testing new playgrounds. What if the next crypto momentum is being prepared elsewhere?

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