Bitcoin Updates: Retail Investors in Panic While Whales Accumulate—The Fragile Turning Point for Crypto

Bitget App

Trade smarter

Bitget

News

Markets

Bitcoin Updates: Retail Investors in Panic While Whales Accumulate—The Fragile Turning Point for Crypto

Bitget-RWA2025/11/18 06:08

By:Bitget-RWA

- Bitcoin fell below $90,000, triggering extreme retail fear as the Fear & Greed Index hit 11, its lowest since 2022. - Institutional and whale activity shows accumulation amid selloff, including $835.6M in purchases by Strategy and a $297M whale transfer. - A technical "death cross" and stalled ETF inflows worsened the decline, while macroeconomic uncertainty delays Fed rate cuts and data releases. - Analysts debate outcomes: some warn of deeper corrections, others cite on-chain accumulation and historica

Bitcoin's sharp decline below $90,000 has sparked intense "extreme fear" among individual investors, as

the crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to 11

- marking its lowest reading since the bear market of 2022. In contrast, activity from institutions and whales points to a split in sentiment, with major holders

buying up coins during the downturn

. The recent price slide, fueled by a technical "death cross" and a halt in ETF inflows, has wiped out Bitcoin's gains for 2025 and

ignited discussions about whether this signals

the onset of a wider bear market.

The death cross—a bearish indicator that occurs when the 50-day moving average falls below the 200-day average—has coincided with shrinking liquidity and a notable slowdown in U.S. spot ETF inflows. These investment vehicles, which took in over $25 billion earlier this year,

have seen inflows stall for almost two weeks

as worries mount that the Trump administration's tariff policies could postpone Federal Reserve rate cuts. Corporate buyers, who were actively acquiring

Bitcoin

in the first half of 2025,

have also halted their acquisitions

Retail anxiety has intensified, with social media awash in panic and forced liquidations accelerating the downward trend. In just the past day, Bitcoin saw $116.8 million in liquidations, with $95.3 million coming from long positions

according to analysis

. The selloff has been further driven by large on-chain transactions, such as a $297 million whale transfer from Bitfinex to an unidentified wallet,

hinting at possible repositioning

Bitcoin Updates: Retail Investors in Panic While Whales Accumulate—The Fragile Turning Point for Crypto image 0

Yet, the moves of institutions and whales paint a different picture. Despite the turmoil, major entities are stepping in. For example,

Strategy acquired $835.6 million in Bitcoin

, boosting its total holdings to nearly 650,000 BTC. In another case, a whale lost $5.5 million on leveraged short bets against Bitcoin and

Zcash

underscoring the dangers of aggressive bearish trades

. Meanwhile, the collapsed exchange Mt. Gox

transferred $956 million in Bitcoin to an unidentified wallet

, a move often preceding repayments to creditors.

Experts remain split on what this means. Some caution that a deeper pullback could occur if Bitcoin doesn't recover crucial support levels. "The death cross and mounting liquidations are warning signs," stated

CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju

. Others believe this is a normal mid-cycle correction. Maja Vujinovic from FG Nexus pointed out that strong on-chain accumulation and historical trends indicate a prolonged bear market may not be developing

according to analysis

The Federal Reserve's upcoming December rate decision is seen as a key event. With just 42% of traders now expecting a rate cut—down from 93% in October—macroeconomic uncertainty continues to dampen sentiment

according to market analysis

. At the same time, the U.S. government shutdown has postponed important economic reports,

adding to the uncertainty

As the market weathers this period of volatility,

the next few weeks will reveal whether institutional support

can help steady prices or if retail panic will push Bitcoin down to the $85,000–$87,000 support range. For now, the cryptocurrency market remains fragile, with both bulls and bears preparing for what comes next.

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

PoolX: Earn new token airdrops

Lock your assets and earn 10%+ APR

Lock now!

- HYPE token surged amid DeFi's Q3 2025 resurgence, driven by 3.2M active addresses and 42% staked supply. - DeFi TVL rose 40.2% to $161B as Ethereum recovery and asset tokenization boosted institutional interest. - HYPE's 70% perpetuals market share outperforms peers but faces sustainability risks from macroeconomic volatility and opaque governance. - Staking growth and $1.25B annualized revenue highlight strength, yet regulatory clarity and innovation remain critical for long-term adoption.

Bitget-RWA•2025/11/20 03:56

PENGU Token Value Soars: Analyzing November 2025’s Brief Rally and the Mindset of Investors

- PENGU token surged in late 2025 due to technical indicators, on-chain activity, and investor psychology. - Mixed signals show bearish RSI (38.705) with bullish MACD/OBV and whale accumulation ($273K). - Short positions ($7.68M) and unquantified NVT score highlight risks amid $0.0235 resistance testing. - Whale transfers (2B tokens) and DeFi liquidity innovations add uncertainty to breakout potential.

Bitget-RWA•2025/11/20 03:56

WLFI's $22M Token Destruction: Will Trump-Endorsed Cryptocurrency Restore Confidence?

- WLFI burned 166.667 million tokens ($22.14M) from hacked wallets, reallocating them to secure recovery addresses via emergency transactions. - The breach stemmed from phishing and third-party lapses, not smart contract flaws, with frozen wallets tested for months before reallocation. - The burn-and-reallocate mechanism, designed for lost access or attacks, highlights WLFI's focus on compliance and fund protection during recovery. - The incident intensifies scrutiny over WLFI's regulatory compliance and t

Bitget-RWA•2025/11/20 03:40

Uniswap News Update: UNI Rallies Amid Fee Switch Optimism, Yet Large Holder Sell-Offs Raise Concerns

- Uniswap's UNI token surged 18.14% in a week, driven by the Fee Switch Proposal and whale activity, reaching $7.33 on November 17. - The rally outperformed a broader crypto market downturn, with 24-hour trading volume jumping 47.59% to $682 million amid bullish technical indicators. - Arthur Hayes' sale of 1,500 ETH and reduced UNI holdings raised caution, contrasting with analysts' $8+ price projections if volume sustains above $650 million. - The Fee Switch Proposal could institutionalize buybacks, redu

Bitget-RWA•2025/11/20 03:40