Bitcoin Dumped Below $88K: Here Are the 2 Warning Signs Traders Missed

Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below $88,000 on January 25, 2026, following a sharp rise in Solana network fees and renewed whale activity on Binance.

The move has drawn attention because similar fee spikes on Solana preceded earlier Bitcoin pullbacks, raising questions about whether extreme activity on one chain can act as an early warning for broader market stress.

Solana Fees and Whale Deposits Set Stage For Drop

On-chain data from January 24 and 25 showed two developments that coincided with Bitcoin’s drop from around $90,000. First, large holders, or whales, moved approximately 2,000 BTC to the Binance exchange on January 21. According to Taha, such inflows have historically aligned with distribution or positioning ahead of selling, although they do not guarantee immediate downside.

Second, and more notably, the total value of transaction fees on the Solana network spiked to about $37.5 million on January 24.

This Solana fee event is almost identical to one that occurred on October 10, 2025. On that date, Solana fees also hit around $37 million while Bitcoin traded near $114,000. The flagship cryptocurrency’s price then fell about 27% in the subsequent weeks.

Taha noted that these fee spikes typically reflect peak network activity, often driven by automated trading bots and high leverage in decentralized finance applications, which can signal overheated market conditions.

Price Action Reflects Controlled Selling and Leverage Flush

At the time of writing, BTC was trading just under $88,000 after dipping as low as $86,000 in the past 24 hours. It is down more than 5% in the last week and nearly 17% over the past year.

Bitcoin’s decline triggered dips for several altcoins, including Sui (SUI), Arbitrum (ARB), Cardano (ADA), and Ethena (ENA). Ethereum (ETH) fell below $2,900, and Solana (SOL) experienced a brief drop of more than 2.5%, indicating a widespread reduction in risk across majors.

Research shared by XWIN Research Japan added macro context. The platform’s analysts noted that rising U.S. political uncertainty, including a higher chance of a government shutdown before the January 30 funding deadline, coincided with a thin-liquidity period.

According to them, around $170 million in long liquidations occurred within 60 minutes, driven largely by derivatives rather than spot selling. Meanwhile, open interest, near $28.4 billion, remains well below late-2025 highs, suggesting leverage had already been reduced before this move.

All the data points to a market reacting to concentrated activity and leverage unwinds, with Solana’s fee spike once again appearing alongside a BTC pullback rather than acting as a standalone cause.

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