18 March 2024
The Bitcoin price movement last week revealed a series of ups and downs, from starting the week at a new all-time high of $73,780 to crashing 12% in the days after to reach below $65,000. Crypto data analysts have spotted massive amounts of Bitcoin being withdrawn from major exchanges during the period of uncertainty, indicating that large investors anticipate further price appreciation.
According to a social media post by crypto analyst Ali Martinez, the total BTC balance on crypto exchanges fell by over 21,400 in the past week, with the creation of 13 new whales, each holding over 1,000 BTC.
BTC Withdrawal From Exchanges
Bitcoin crossed over $73,700 last week to register a new all-time high but has struggled to gain a footing above the price level. Interestingly, it would seem the new all-time high sparked a wave of profit-taking from some investors. However, on-chain and exchange data indicate Bitcoin is still undergoing a bullish sentiment from some investors, particularly large investors.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez noted this bull accumulation pattern in a post on his social media platform X. According to a Glassnode chart shared by the analyst, the total amount of BTC on exchanges has been on a free-fall since the middle of January. Notably, the total BTC balance saw a brief increase in the first few days of March before resuming a free-fall on March 5. In the past week alone, 21,401 BTC were moved off crypto exchanges.
As the #Bitcoin bull run momentarily pauses, it’s noteworthy that 21,401 #BTC have been moved off crypto exchanges over the past week, and the network has welcomed 13 new whales, each holding over 1,000 $BTC. pic.twitter.com/oSXaKBR4Z1
— Ali (@ali_charts) March 16, 2024
Similarly, the crypto analytics platform IntoTheBlock noted this outflow pattern during the week. According to ITB, BTC withdrawal from crypto exchanges reached its highest point this year on March 15. Interestingly, $750 million worth of Bitcoin was withdrawn on this day, the highest since May 2023.
Over $750m $BTC was withdrawn from exchanges yesterday, the highest since May 2023. The majority of these withdrawals originate from Bitfinex ($524m) and Kraken ($130m) pic.twitter.com/8d3eIJROhv
— IntoTheBlock (@intotheblock) March 15, 2024
What Does This Mean For Bitcoin?
The Bitcoin ecosystem has witnessed serious money on the move since the beginning of the year, leading to a strong price surge for the cryptocurrency. However, this rally has since slowed down to spark a price correction, with market sentiment reaching the most negative sentiment toward BTC since December 2023. Bitcoin is currently trading at $68,201, down by 3.44% in the past seven days.
After such a strong surge in price, it’s normal for the momentum to slow down as the market consolidates and decides on the next move. While momentum has slowed, the overall trend for Bitcoin remains bullish.
Judging by the massive amounts of Bitcoin pulled from exchanges recently, it looks like whales are gearing up for a continued rally. Bitcoin is now showing signs of a rally, and is now up by 5% in the past 24 hours.