Bitcoin’s 17% crash explained: $88M whale short, tariff shock & more…

Here’s a quick rundown of the chaos.

Key takeaways

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What just happened in the Bitcoin market?

An anonymous trader made $88 million shorting Bitcoin right before Trump’s surprise tariff announcement.

Why did Bitcoin crash after Trump’s tariff news?

STHs bought near the top, whales dumped, and a perfectly timed short amplified the drop.

An anonymous trader made $88 million by shorting Bitcoin [BTC] just thirty minutes before President Donald Trump’s surprise tariff announcement, causing debate about insider trading.

Source: X

BTC plunged 17% following the news, aggravated by poorly timed buys from short-term holders (STHs) who snapped up nearly 500 BTC at a record $122,000.

The short that caused manipulation worries

On-chain data reveals that, two days before Trump’s Truth Social post, whales began placing billion-dollar short bets on BTC and Ethereum [ETH]. 

The motive behind these trades remains unclear, and it’s uncertain whether they originated from the same whale.

Then came the announcement, and markets plunged. BTC dropped 17% in a matter of hours, liquidating over $20 billion in positions. The short doubled right before the official speech.

So was the whale’s monumental short a lucky trade, or a calculated move by someone who knew what was coming?

The real story

The crash was largely a matter of timing – both politically and psychologically.

Source: Cryptoquant

Retail wallets piled into BTC right at $122K, again.

This is the fourth time in months they’ve bought big at local tops, only to get dumped on by whales. Meanwhile, long-term holders (LTHs) didn’t budge; exchange reserves continued dropping, a sign of steady accumulation.

Political shocks create short-term panic, but it seems it’s always the same players who react.

Will October surprise us all?

So far, we’ve seen panic-selling, political shocks, and classic short-term mistakes, but zooming out reveals something interesting.

Source: X

October price declines of more than 5% have occurred only four times in the past decade, specifically in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Each time, Bitcoin rebounded within a week, often with double-digit gains. Economist Timothy Peterson highlighted 7-day recoveries of up to 21% following these rare October dips.

Now, in October 2025, we may be witnessing a similar setup. If the pattern holds, this pullback could be a reset before the next leg upward.

Next: BLS to drop September CPI amid shutdown – Is Bitcoin’s Q4 run hanging by a thread?
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