Bitcoin dropped over 5% in 24 hours on Sunday evening, falling below $65,000 as large holders moved significant amounts to exchanges. The decline marks a historic six-week losing streak and reflects evolving market conditions that crypto professionals should monitor closely.
Market Data Reveals Unusual Whale Behavior
The cryptocurrency traded near $64,500 following a rapid two-hour decline from the $67,000 range. CryptoQuant data shows the exchange whale ratio has reached 0.64, the highest level since 2015, indicating that large holders are driving most exchange deposits and leading current selling activity.
The average bitcoin deposit size has climbed to 1.58 BTC, the highest since June 2022. While total inflows have decreased approximately 60% from early February peaks to around 23,000 BTC on a seven-day average, exchange flows remain elevated compared to historical norms.
This represents Bitcoin's first stretch of six consecutive negative weekly closes and three straight closes below its 2021 high. The increased trading volume during the decline suggests active distribution rather than passive price drift, according to Bitcoin Magazine Pro data.
Institutional Buyers Continue Accumulation
Despite the downturn, several major institutions have maintained or increased their bitcoin exposure. Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company expanded its stake in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust to 12.7 million shares valued at approximately $630 million as of December 31, representing a 46% increase from the previous quarter.
Al Warda Investments similarly raised its IBIT holdings to 8.22 million shares. Combined, the two Abu Dhabi funds held over 20 million IBIT shares worth more than $1.1 billion at year-end 2025.
Strategy acquired another 2,486 BTC for $168.4 million last week, bringing total holdings to 717,131 BTC. Executive Michael Saylor indicated the company may make its 100th bitcoin purchase this week, continuing a 13-week accumulation pattern despite carrying $5.8 billion in unrealized losses.
Implications for Crypto Professionals
The divergence between retail selling pressure and institutional accumulation creates an uncertain environment for blockchain companies and their hiring plans. Professionals in the sector should prepare for continued volatility as market dynamics shift between different holder categories.
