Unlocks are widely considered bearish catalysts. That’s because holders benefiting from the unlock have the new ability to sell their coins, potentially adding to the supply in the market. It’s common for early stage projects to lock tokens to prevent big holders, typically early investors or project team members, from selling their coins all at once and causing a price slide.
Source: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/04/21/axs-nurses-losses-as-axie-infinitys-156m-token-unlock-looms/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=headlines