Bitcoin: STHs dump 148k BTC – Can BTC hold $96k before sharks add pressure?

Key Takeaways

Why are Bitcoin’s losses accelerating this week?

Short-term Holders dumped 148k BTC at a loss while sharks posted −53.7k BTC, adding intense sell pressure.

What should BTC traders watch from here?

BTC risks a drop toward $94k unless STH selling slows; a $99k retest needs renewed spot demand.

Bitcoin [BTC] extended its decline inside a descending channel that started in late October. Price action stayed weak as BTC printed consistent lower lows across the last few sessions.

At press time, BTC traded near $96,041 after losing 5.91% on the day and 8.7% on the week.

That weakness left short-term holders deep in the red.

Bitcoin STH losses hit an 8-month high

Significantly, with Bitcoin facing sustained losses, recent buyers have seen their positions turn into losses. In fact, Short Term Holders [STH] losses, both realized and unrealized, have surged significantly over the past few weeks. 

Checkonchain data showed Short-term Holder Supply in Loss rising to 4.9 million BTC, a level last seen in April when BTC traded between $74k and $76k.

Source: Checkonchain

Such a spike indicates that most of these holders bought BTC at prices higher than the current market value. 

Historically, mounting losses have followed panic selling, as market confidence tends to decline with falling prices. 

STHs dumped 148k BTC below $100k

According to CryptoQuant, STH dumped $148k BTC purchased at prices below $100k over the past 48 hours.

Source: CryptoQuant

That shift aligned with BTC’s drop toward $96k, far below the $102k and $107k cost-basis zones seen on holder charts. The move triggered widespread fear as STHs capitulated and accepted losses rather than risk deeper downside.

Fish and shark cohorts mirrored that behavior. Checkonchain charts showed Sharks (100–1k BTC) posting a −53.7k BTC 30-day balance change on the 16th of November.

Source: Checkonchain

By contrast, Fish (10–100 BTC) recorded a −16.4k BTC 30-day Balance Change, confirming broad retail-led selling pressure.

Such synchronized selling implied that recent buyers held a strongly bearish bias during the current drawdown.

More losses if….

BTC failed to build sustainable upside as each bounce met immediate selling from STHs. That pattern kept momentum weak and limited recovery attempts across the last week.

If STHs continue to offload coins while demand remains thin, BTC could retest $94,106 as the next support.

Even so, reduced STH spending combined with renewed spot demand could stabilize price action. In that scenario, BTC might attempt a rebound toward $99,314, which acted as the next resistance zone on recent charts.