Bitcoin – Whales buy 56K BTC as smaller holders sell – Who’s right this time?

On the next episode of “What’s Happening with Bitcoin [BTC]…” mixed signals run abound and large players are preparing! Meanwhile, smaller holders are stepping back, with ETF flows moving steadily.

None of this is new, but these patterns tend to appear at moments that matter.

What now?

When big money buys…

New data from Santiment showed an interesting split in the market.

Large holders have been buying since mid-December, adding over 56,000 coins during the sideways phase. This usually means local bottoms.

At the same time, smaller retail wallets are beginning to take profits, expecting the recent move to be a short-lived rally.

Source: Santiment

Markets often move in the direction of large holders. When whales buy, the setup usually looks bullish.

ETFs bring massive support in 2026

In early January alone, Daily Net Inflows for Bitcoin [BTC] ETFs surged by hundreds of millions of dollars, pushing cumulative inflows close to $58 billion. Long-term investors are using these sideways phases to build more exposure.

Source: SoSoValue

The interesting point to note here, is that this is happening without a spike in futures leverage. This reduces the risk of forced liquidations.

When ETF inflows stay strong during flat markets, the demand can support higher prices once the pressure fades.

Where is price likely to stabilize next?

The recent rally toward $94k is happening during a major redistribution of supply, with large holders controlling far less than they did earlier in the cycle. There’s a clear resistance zone between $98k and $105k, where STHs and the 200-day average may slow further gains.

Source: X

On the downside, strong support is between the $80k to $82k, near the true market mean and ETF-driven demand. With profit-taking and leverage still low, price is consolidating… unless those key support levels break.