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Ali Charts, the analyst in question, tweeted:
“The 1-year change in Bitcoin whale holdings is −161,294 $BTC.
That tells us whales have been net sellers over the last year. This behavior usually shows up before or during deeper corrections, not after bottoms.”
Currently, the digital currency is holding around the $90k valuation but is increasingly uncertain amid a bearish resurgence. Overall, 161294 BTC ($15 billion) worth of Bitcoin was sold by whales during the calendar year, especially around clutch situations. The consistent whale-selling action has been a problem for the bullish case, and if this trend continues into 2026, it’s hard to expect a different outcome.



 Whale Sellers Can Force Bearish Trend to Continue
This is where Ali’s point is well taken, as he states that major selling activity by whales either predicts significant price corrections or shows the continuation of a bearish trend, not a bottom. Buying activity is an indicator of a bull market, and that just hasn’t happened when it comes to whales.
However, smaller players like sharks (holding 100-1K BTC) have actually engaged in net buying activity throughout the year, keeping much of the destructive power of whale sellers at bay. There is growing anticipation that legacy whales are relinquishing their position as the biggest market makers, and the community is becoming much more democratized as medium-sized players continue purchasing activity.
The Future
Whales still hold a massive amount of BTC in their wallets (More than 2 million BTC), but they can only sell up to a certain degree. The passing year showcased the market’s incredible resilience against such odds. So, increased selling bias can bring the price of the digital commodity down, but it can also help improve things in the long term.
As we head into the 2026 calendar year, analysts will focus on on-chain whale activity to understand emerging patterns. Even if selling activity slows compared to the outgoing year, it can help bring some relief to the bulls for a short while.
