Bitcoin USD Speculators at Peak Distress, BTC Whales Undeterred: Accumulate Over $25B in Just 5 Months

The price of Bitcoin USD has been experiencing fluctuations, as indicated by the recent price movements over the past few days. Following last week’s rally, which elevated BTC to a historic peak exceeding $124,500, downtrend sentiment has taken long-term holding. Gains early on August 14 were swiftly negated as sellers came in heavily, completely undoing the previous day’s advancements. Despite hopes for a recovery in digital currency prices, the pessimistic trend has persisted.

As the week commenced, there was no sign of relief. Bitcoin USD is now trading beneath last week’s lows, and each successive lower low on the BTC daily chart raises the likelihood of a drop below $110,000 this week.

(Source: TradingView)

DISCOVER: The 12+ Hottest Crypto Presales to Buy Right Now

BTC USD Declines, Long Positions Liquidated: What Lies Ahead for Bulls?

Looking at the daily chart, the easiest path seems to be upwards. However, buyer activity is diminishing, and sellers are confident they can hack the situation, potentially causing a crypto market collapse. A double top has formed, presenting substantial barrier level near all-time highs, while the main base level level sits at $110,000.

Despite the Bitcoin ▼-1.31% uptrend trend observed since late June, for the uptrend momentum to persist, a strong closure above $124,500 is essential, along with reversing recent setbacks.

If this does not occur and sellers gain dominance, it may result in a significant downturn, pushing Bitcoin USD back to $100,000 or even lower. In such a scenario, even certain leading Solana meme coins could be affected.

According to Coinglass, over $102 million worth of leveraged BTC long positions were liquidated in just the last 24 hours. Reports indicate that the majority of these liquidations occurred on Bybit and Binance, with the largest Bitcoin USDT position liquidated amounting to $9.7 million on Binance.

As the price declines, open interest has similarly decreased, falling to $81 billion. This drop hints that traders are opting to remain cautious, possibly liquidating their long positions.

(Source: Coinglass)

DISCOVER: Best New Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2025

Bitcoin Whales Accumulating as Speculators Capitulate: Who Will Prevail?

On X, an analyst observes that short-term investors, mainly those who purchased within the last three months, are facing significant losses and selling BTC at unfavorable prices. The profit/loss ratio for these short-term holders suggests they began to feel strain once the prices dipped below $115,000. Historically, those who invest during such capitulation scenarios often see substantial rewards.

Short-term holders are officially in pain, selling coins at a loss. Investors will see that buying short-term holder blood has an impressive track database. $BTC pic.twitter.com/cGJ4jV09Un

— Frank (@FrankAFetter) August 19, 2025

Nonetheless, while speculators retreat, BTC whales, particularly those holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC, are actively accumulating. Data from Santiment shows that this group has continuously purchased over the last five months, gathering 225,320 Bitcoin valued at over $25.5 billion since March 22. By capitalizing on the weakness of speculators, primarily those lacking conviction, their accumulation reflects confidence in potential price recovery.

Bitcoin’s key whales & sharks are continuing to accumulate after the mild dip from last week’s all-time high. With prices -6.22% since August 13th, wallets with 10-10K $BTC have accumulated 20,061 more coins.

When we zoom out, this same group of key stakeholders has added… pic.twitter.com/v6YNvyRk50

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) August 18, 2025

DISCOVER: 20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025

Federal Reserve as a Potential Bullish Catalyst

All attention is focused on Jerome Powell’s upcoming address at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium on Friday. The Federal Reserve chair will outline the economic outlook for the U.S. and may touch on future monetary policies.

The central bank is projected to cut rates in September. In spite of inflation rising more rapidly than anticipated by economists, the likelihood of the Federal Reserve reducing rates remains substantial, with nearly 83% of economists predicting a drop to the 4-4.25% range on September 17.

(Source: CME FedWatchTool)

Should the Federal Reserve surprise the crypto market by maintaining current rates, it could escalate selling pressure on BTC, potentially leading to a drop below $100,000. Conversely, considering tariff effects and rising inflation, any rate cuts could spur demand, attracting risk-tolerant investors to flock towards safe-haven assets like Bitcoin and gold.

DISCOVER: 9+ Best High-Risk, High-Reward Crypto to Buy in 2025

The post Bitcoin USD Speculators at Max Pain, Bitcoin Whales Unfazed: Stack Over $25B in 5 Months appeared first on 99Bitcoins.