20 January 2024
The story has not been much different for the price of Bitcoin this week, as the premier cryptocurrency has struggled to capitalize on its recent advancements. According to data from CoinGecko, BTC is down by more than 3% in the past week, putting doubts over the continuation of the bull run.
However, the latest on-chain revelation has offered some relief, suggesting that the value of Bitcoin might be up for substantial recovery over the next few weeks.
Can Whale Accumulation Trigger Continuation Of Bull Cycle?
Popular crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed – via a post on the X platform – that the number of Bitcoin whales has witnessed a significant increase over the past few days. This is based on the “Number of Entities With At Least 1,000 BTC Balance” metric from the on-chain analytics firm Glassnode.
According to the latest Glassnode data, the number of addresses holding at least 1,000 BTC surpassed 1,510 on Thursday, January 18. This figure represents the metric’s highest level in over 15 months (since August 2022).
Large holders, commonly known as “whales,” are considered relevant entities in the cryptocurrency market due to their ability to influence prices and market sentiment. Hence, a notable uptick in the number of whales often suggests growing confidence in a cryptocurrency – in this case, Bitcoin.
Furthermore, this surge in whale addresses signals potential accumulation amongst large investors and institutions. Acquisition of large Bitcoin amounts is a positive sign for the market leader, especially in terms of price performance.
A recent Santiment report adds strength to this argument, saying that increased whale accumulation of Bitcoin would be a “key” factor to help trigger another bull run for the flagship cryptocurrency and the entire sector.
As the #crypto weekend begins, shark & whale tiers for #Bitcoin & top #stablecoins remain mildly down:
10-10K #Bitcoin wallets: 66.27% of supply 100K-10M #Tether wallets: 33.98% of supply 100K-10M #USDCoin wallets: 35.49% of supply
Several events can
(Cont) pic.twitter.com/qu6SqG4Qis
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) January 20, 2024
The blockchain analytics firm also highlighted the accumulation of the Tether and USDC stablecoins as a vital signal for the cryptocurrency market’s return to its recent high.
Bitcoin Price Overview
As of this writing, the price of Bitcoin stands at $41,593, reflecting a 1.1% increase in the past 24 hours. This doesn’t fully tell the story of the coin’s performance in the past day, though, as it briefly fell below $41,000.
According to data from CoinGecko, BTC is down by more than 5% in the last 14 days. The cryptocurrency has reversed all its gains and more from the recent launch of spot exchange-traded funds in the United States.
Nevertheless, Bitcoin maintains its spot as the largest cryptocurrency in the sector, with a market cap of over $814 billion.