Whales accumulate AAVE – Will $280 finally break or hold?

• Whale accumulation and address growth highlighted interest, but active participation has been low
• AAVE appeared to be closing in on key resistance at $280, with rising flows and liquidation pressure building too

A whale has aggressively accumulated over 118,000 AAVE since 1 May, with the latest $4.96M purchase made just hours ago. These purchases have pushed its total holdings to over 261,000 AAVE – Valued at around $69.8M. 

The accumulation, mainly from centralized exchanges like Kraken and Wintermute, has not triggered significant resistance yet. However, the timing seemed to coincide with AAVE testing major resistance levels on the price charts. 

Therefore, the aggressive activity raises two possibilities – Either the whale anticipates a sustained rally or is building liquidity for future distribution. 

Is rising AAVE network activity a signal of strength or just noise?

At the time of writing, AAVE’s address metrics painted a mixed picture. New wallet creation jumped by 31.94% in the last seven days, reflecting a short-term surge in interest. 

However, active addresses barely moved, up only 0.21% – A sign of a lack of follow-through. 

More concerning was the 54.77% uptick in zero-balance addresses. This could mean users have been exiting or wallets are being recycled.

Source: IntoTheBlock

Concentration trends over the past month also revealed that whales have increased their holdings by 3.32%, while mid-sized investor addresses dropped by 6.13%. 

Retail participation climbed by only 1.27% – A sign of minimal retail excitement. This shift towards whale dominance could either reinforce market stability or signal risk if those same whales reverse course. 

Moreover, the exit of investor-tier holders—typically more stable than retail—reduces a key layer of support too. 

Do rising exchange flows reflect confidence or caution?

Exchange flows surged by 135.13% over the last 30 days, with a 26.64% hike over the past week and a sharp 144.45% daily spike. 

These rising flows came alongside a price uptick from $180 to $271.85 – Highlighting clear capital movement around key levels. 

While this could represent bullish momentum, such spikes might also align with distribution zones in previous cycles. Therefore, the surge may reflect profit-taking disguised as accumulation. 

If inflows persist while the price stalls below its resistance level, selling pressure may soon outweigh bullish intent.

Source: IntoTheBlock

Will short squeezes fuel a breakout above $275?

The liquidation heatmap underlined significant short pressure above $275, creating a potential squeeze zone. 

At the same time, long positions appeared to be vulnerable below $260, establishing a lower boundary. With AAVE priced at around $271 at press time, it sat at the center of this liquidity battle. 

A clean breakout above $275 could force a cascade of short liquidations, accelerating the rally. However, if the price fails to hold this level, longs may start unwinding aggressively.

Source: Coinglass

Is AAVE ready to push through resistance?

AAVE, at press time, was brushing against its key resistance at $279.53 – In alignment with its upper Bollinger Band. 

The RSI sat at 72.64, deep in overbought territory, indicating potential exhaustion. Meanwhile, the 20-day moving average at $250 provided a support base if a retracement occurs. 

A decisive breakout above $280 could unlock a path towards $380 – The next major resistance. However, without a strong catalyst, the overheated RSI may trigger a cool-down on the charts. 

Source: TradingView

Conclusion

Whale accumulation and short liquidation pressure hinted at a possible breakout, especially if $280 breaks with volume. However, an overheated RSI and rising exchange flows alluded to potential profit-taking.

Hence, while AAVE is likely to test and briefly pierce $280, sustaining gains will depend on follow-through from retail and investors.