Crypto could be in “optimal conditions” for a breakout as Bitcoin whales and sharks accumulated 36,322 Bitcoin over the past nine days while retail dumped, according to analysts from Santiment.
“Bitcoin’s whales & sharks continue to accumulate,” Santiment said in an X post on Tuesday, after Bitcoin (BTC) dropped 4.55% over 24 hours, trading at $89,110 at the time of publication.
Between Jan. 10 and Jan. 19, Bitcoin wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 Bitcoin (also referred to as “smart money”) accumulated $3.21 billion in Bitcoin.
Retail wallets, described as those holding less than 0.01 BTC, offloaded 132 BTC ($11.66 million) over the same period, according to Santiment.
“Optimal conditions for a crypto breakout are when smart money accumulates and retail dumps,” Santiment said. “Geopolitical issues aside, this pattern continues to create a long-term bullish divergence.”
Bitcoin tumbles on tariff threats
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, Bitcoin has experienced volatility whenever the US president has floated new tariffs.
It happened again on Monday, as Trump discussed imposing tariffs on eight European countries as part of his push to claim Greenland, leading to Bitcoin falling almost 7%.
Last week, CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said that “retail has left Bitcoin markets and whales are buying.”
However, Santiment pointed out on Tuesday that Bitcoin is seeing one of the highest increases in discussion rates on social media among the crypto community, including comparisons to metals like gold and silver, which reached new all-time highs on Monday amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Crypto sentiment down as markets remain BTC-focused
Other crypto indicators suggest that market participants are cautious and still heavily Bitcoin-focused compared to other cryptocurrencies.
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Meanwhile, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures overall crypto market sentiment, posted a “fear” score of 32 in its Tuesday update.
The Altcoin Season Index, which is based on the performance of the top 100 altcoins relative to Bitcoin over the past 90 days, reads a “Bitcoin Score” of 29 out of 100.
Crypto analyst Will Clemente said in an X post, “Being objective, it’s tough to be excited about Bitcoin here based on price action.”
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