Bitcoin Purchases Trend Shows Caution Amidst Market Fluctuation
Recent data indicates that while Bitcoin remains a popular asset, buyers are being more cautious in their accumulation strategies amidst market volatility.
Bitcoin’s price recently swung dramatically, starting from above $126,000 to a low of $60,000 before recovering slightly to around $68,000. Despite this volatility, a significant number of investors continue to purchase Bitcoin, anticipating a future increase in value. However, a segment of short-term buyers is noticeably slowing their acquisition rate.
Demand Deceleration
According to insights shared by Alphractal, the Short-Term Holder Net Position Change over the past 90 days reveals a decline, even though it remains positive. This suggests that while short-term holders are still adding to their Bitcoin reserves, the rate of accumulation has notably slowed down recently. Alphractal notes that this trend indicates a weakening momentum for short-term demand, a typical precursor to market consolidation or heightened volatility.
Founder Joao Wedson remarked:
“Even with news of institutional strategies accumulating and other financial entities boosting their positions, Short-Term Holders are not accumulating at the same rate they were 90 days ago. Examining a handful of isolated entities is insufficient. A comprehensive evaluation of the entire Bitcoin blockchain is necessary to grasp the true underlying demand.”
Whale Holdings Differ
In a contrasting analysis from CryptoQuant, it was noted that whale holdings have increased by more than 200,000 BTC. Although there has been a recent rise in whale inflows into exchanges—often linked to short-term selling—overall whale holdings have continued to expand. This analysis focuses on longer-term trends by using monthly average figures rather than short-term fluctuations. Following a significant drop to nearly -7% back on December 15, whale behaviors seem to have shifted in recent weeks, as their holdings have grown by 3.4%.
During this timeframe, the amount of Bitcoin managed by these large holders surged from approximately 2.9 million BTC to over 3.1 million BTC. The last significant accumulation of this nature was surmised during the market correction in April 2025, when whale buying helped alleviate selling pressure, aiding Bitcoin’s climb from $76,000 to $126,000. CryptoQuant observed that currently, Bitcoin is stabilizing nearly 46% below its latest all-time high, leading some whales to possibly seize this as a buying opportunity.
