Bitcoin Whales Accumulate as Trump’s Tariff Pause Shakes Up the Market

Bitcoin has been thrown into the spotlight once again, but not for the usual things.

Following a surprising announcement by President Trump that he was pausing a 90-day tariff, crypto’s biggest players—whales and sharks—began to move aggressively in the market, buying up more BTC, even as ETF prices plunged and various technical indicators showed that it was a bad time to be buying.

In the last 24 hours alone, 132 new wallets holding 10 or more BTC were created. That’s a meaningful signal. These wallets—often linked to high-net-worth individuals, early adopters, and funds—typically accumulate during periods of uncertainty when they believe opportunity is ahead. Their recent uptick coincides precisely with the tariff announcement, suggesting confidence that Bitcoin could benefit from a more stable macro backdrop in the short term.

Institutional conduct, notwithstanding the recent uptick in whale activity, suggests a more prudent approach. On April 10, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net outflow of $150 million. That same day, they had their sixth straight day of exits. Half a billion dollars is a significant amount. And it’s hardly bullish when traditional finance still seems to be on the sidelines, possibly reacting to macro signals that are, at best, mixed, and to Bitcoin’s technical framework.

And what about the technical aspects? They remain unclear.

– On the daily chart, a death cross has formed. This is a classic bearish pattern. It occurs when the 50-day moving average drops below the 200-day moving average.

The SuperTrend indicator stays solidly in the “Sell” zone.

The monthly open at $82,500 remains a wall of resistance.

Directly overhead at $84,000 sits a trailing trend line from the highest price ever.

– Above the current price, $85,800 and $87,000 are the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, respectively.

– Those moving averages are the last line of defense for the bulls.

All of these levels are acting like a ceiling, keeping Bitcoin trapped in a zone where bulls are trying to break through.

As it stands now, Bitcoin is trying to slice through resistance at $82,360. If this breakout holds, the next big target on the chart is $91,500—but getting there will be an uphill struggle. The way is strewn with overhead resistance and a distinct lack of bullish confirmation on higher time frames.

Especially interesting is the divergence. Whale wallets are growing, while ETFs—widely considered a measure of institutional sentiment—are leaking capital. It’s a tale of two markets. One side is quietly stacking, and possibly betting, on geopolitical uncertainty and fiat debasement. The other is trimming risk and citing macro tension and technical weakness.

Accumulating in silence while the larger investment community remains skeptical is not something that whales do with any frequency in the crypto world. By contrast, you could say that whales tend to do the opposite of what most people expect. If you’re a proponent of the BTC story, then lo and behold, accumulating in silence while the larger investment community remains skeptical is not something that whales do with any frequency in the crypto world.

Bitcoin currently occupies a pivotal technical and psychological position. Should it manage to unambiguously break out above the $84,000–$87,000 range, the very contours of the market could shift in our favor. After all, the next substantial barrier in our way is at $91,500, which poises to come into play relatively soon—if not in the next few days—ought we to see continued accumulation by the whales and a reversal in the pattern of outflows from Bitcoin ETFs.

Yet if the breakout doesn’t succeed, and ETF outflows keep coming, then we may be looking at something else altogether: 1. A deeper consolidation phase, or 2. Another correction, before we see any kind of sustained upside momentum.

To summarize, Bitcoin finds itself at a crossroads. Intelligent investors are clearly taking positions. The issue at hand, however, is whether these investors are getting in ahead of the trend—or whether their bets are correct.

Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.

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