Bitcoin Whales Plot New Scheme Amid 11-Year High Drama – Data Reveals Secrets!

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The price of Bitcoin, that most tiresome of companions, has languished in a consolidation range below $70,000 this week, after briefly daring to flirt with higher ground over the weekend. One might imagine it sulking in the corner of a drawing room, muttering about how much better it was last month, when February began with a fresh low just above $61,000-a rather unceremonious confirmation of the bear market’s arrival. Now, as if to prove that even markets can grow weary of their own theatrics, it clings to stability, though not without a hint of desperation.

In this fragile truce, a recent on-chain evaluation-courtesy of CryptoQuant, that most diligent of market scribes-suggests that BTC and its crypto kin remain at the mercy of further volatility. A troubling trend, to be sure, but one that whispers of larger forces at play. After all, what is a market if not a stage for the grand performances of the wealthy?

BTC’s Future In The Hands Of Large Investors: CryptoQuant

In the last bull cycle, Bitcoin’s price was a puppet on strings pulled by institutional investors, those modern-day alchemists with their spot exchange-traded funds. Now, it seems, even in the bear market’s dreary twilight, the large investor cohort remains the unspoken director of the show. One might almost admire their persistence, if not for the occasional sense that they’re merely rehearsing for the next downturn.

CryptoQuant’s latest report notes that Bitcoin exchange inflows have normalized since February’s panic-driven spike. A decline from 60,000 BTC to 23,000 BTC is a relief, perhaps, but it is the whale ratio that now commands attention. At 0.64, it stands as a monument to 2015’s forgotten days, a number that suggests these leviathans of the market are depositing their treasures with the enthusiasm of a man stashing gold in a vault before a revolution.

The average BTC deposit size, meanwhile, has returned to levels last seen in mid-2022, during the last bear market’s most arid phase. It is a curious coincidence, one that invites the question: are these deposits acts of faith or calculated gambles? The market, of course, offers no answers-only the occasional shrug and a steep drop.

CryptoQuant also observes that altcoins, those oft-ignored stepchildren of the crypto world, continue to hemorrhage capital. Daily exchange deposits have risen from 40,000 in Q4 2025 to 49,000 in 2026, a testament to the market’s waning confidence. One might say the altcoin crowd is practicing for the next recession, albeit with less flair and more spreadsheets.

Stablecoins, those paragons of stability, are fleeing exchanges at an alarming rate, leaving the Bitcoin market with less “dry powder” than a desert caravan. Net USDT flows have plummeted from $616M in November 2025 to a paltry $27M, occasionally dipping into negative territory. It is a reminder that even in the realm of digital currency, liquidity can vanish faster than a poorly timed joke at a dinner party.

Thus, the stage is set for a encore of downside volatility, should the whales so choose. Their inflows, the altcoin exodus, and the stablecoin flight form a trifecta of uncertainty, a narrative as old as markets themselves. One can only wonder whether the next chapter will be written in red or merely in smaller print.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, Bitcoin trades at $67,580, a 1% increase over the past 24 hours. A modest rise, perhaps, but enough to remind us that even in the doldrums, the market never ceases to surprise-or disappoint.

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2026-02-22 06:12