Specifically, this on-chain is based on the Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) metric of the “Big Whales,” which represents addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC. For context, the NUPL is a ratio of investors’ unrealized profits and losses; with a high (and often positive) ratio indicating the dominance of unrealized profits, while a negative value suggests otherwise.
According to the highlighted CryptoQuant data, the NUPL value for the largest Bitcoin whales currently stands at around 0.2. As shown in the chart below, this NUPL level (around the yellow region) has historically coincided with well-advanced stages of the bear market, meaning that this group of whales is nearing zero unrealized profits.
While this is yet to be the case, it is worth mentioning that these BTC whales have historically always held mostly unrealized losses at bear market bottoms. Hence, what’s important is what happens with their holdings between now and the end of the current corrective phase.
These short-term Bitcoin whales are currently realizing significant losses at a rapid rate. Between February 3 and 7, more than $3 billion in losses were realized by this new group of whales. In essence, sustained capitulation by this investor cohort could be a fresh source of selling pressure for the BTC price.
Bitcoin Price At A GlanceAs of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $68,710, reflecting an over 5% jump in the past 24 hours. According to data from CoinGecko, the premier cryptocurrency is down by nearly 3% in the past week.
