Whale wallets added more than 39,154 BTC over the past week, absorbing supply that smaller holders sold into Bitcoin's rally. Large holders bought while retail wallets recorded one of the most extreme distribution readings the metric produces, a split that has historically preceded further price gains.
Whales buy as retail sells
Large wallets and retail holders moved in opposite directions during Bitcoin's latest rally. Whale wallets collectively added more than 39,154 BTC over the past week, soaking up coins that smaller investors were happy to offload.
Wallets holding 100 BTC or more added roughly 43,000 BTC over the prior 60 days through mid-August 2026, a haul worth somewhere between $2.75 billion and $2.9 billion at current prices. The largest cohorts moved even faster: wallets owning over 10,000 BTC accumulated 46,420 BTC over the same window.
Retail behaved in the opposite direction. Wallets holding between 0.1 and 1 BTC recorded an Accumulation Trend Score of -0.982, on a scale where -1 marks maximum distribution — a reading close to the floor.
A rally that triggered profit-taking
The divergence played out as Bitcoin climbed from $62,229 to above $81,500, a roughly 31% move. Smaller holders who bought in at lower levels used the rally to take profits, while whales kept buying into the same price action. Bitcoin has since settled into a $78,000 to $80,000 range in late August, after briefly testing above $81,500.
That kind of move naturally draws profit-taking from early buyers. But it also means the coins retail sold went straight into wallets that show no sign of letting go.
What comes next
The on-chain data points to shrinking available supply, since whales are pulling coins off the market faster than retail is putting them back. If large holders keep buying while retail continues to unwind, that would strengthen the case for a move toward and beyond $81,500. A reversal, where whales start distributing alongside retail, would signal something very different.
Source: Crypto Briefing
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
