Crypto Markets Open the Week Retracing Further, Instilling Panic Toward the Retail Crowd

Particularly Bitcoin and Ethereum are seeing massive FUD from newer traders who joined markets in the past 2-3 months

Crypto markets opened the week with further retracements, leading to palpable fear among retail traders. Bitcoin and Ethereum, in particular, are seeing massive fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) from newer traders who joined the markets in the past two to three months. These traders have not seen mid-sized corrections before and are reacting emotionally to the global market conditions.

However, such panic selling can create opportunities for larger investors. When retail traders begin selling due to fear, whales and sharks often step in to accumulate more assets with little resistance. These larger players can create market bounces once they’ve built their positions, though the timing of such rebounds may vary. Currently, market conditions appear favorable for these whales to make moves.

One significant player making waves in the Ethereum market is Justin Sun. Over the past week, Sun redeemed 39,999 ETH ($143 million) from Lido Finance and Etherfi, depositing the entire amount to HTX. Since November 10, he has deposited 108,919 ETH (approximately $400 million) to HTX, often near local price peaks. Currently, Sun has an additional 42,904 ETH ($139 million) unstaking from Lido, which could soon be deposited to HTX as well.

Meanwhile, Nexo has also been making large moves with Ethereum. Since December 2, Nexo has deposited a total of 101,756 ETH ($380 million) into Binance at an average price of $3,737. Just an hour ago, another 7,495 ETH ($25 million) was transferred to Binance.

Despite these large movements, a North Korean hacker reportedly lost $458K after going long on ETH on Hyperliquid, only to be liquidated as Ethereum’s price dropped.

On the other hand,positively, the Ethereum spot ETF saw a net inflow of $62.73 million from December 16 to December 20, maintaining a streak of net inflow for four consecutive weeks. BlackRock’s ETHA ETF recorded a weekly net inflow of $144 million, indicating ongoing institutional confidence. Despite the retail panic, these institutional inflows show that bigger players remain optimistic about Ethereum’s long-term potential.