Bitcoin: Which groups profited as BTC hit $100K? Looking into…

• The 6–12 month holder cohort contributed to Bitcoin’s current worth stagnation beneath $100K.
• Declining whale transactions and diminished Open Curiosity steered potential short-term sideways motion.

Bitcoin’s [BTC] worth efficiency over the previous few weeks has remained subdued, with restricted upward motion, regardless of market anticipation for a year-end rally.

Since mid-December, Bitcoin has did not maintain ranges above the $100,000 mark, fluctuating primarily between $94,000 and $95,000. 

This worth vary displays a 5.8% decline over the previous week. On the time of writing, Bitcoin is buying and selling at $95,657, marking an additional 2.5% drop throughout the final 24 hours.

Who profited throughout the $100,000 vary?

Amid this market stagnation, analysts have turned their focus to investor conduct higher to grasp the elements behind Bitcoin’s worth motion.

A CryptoQuant analyst, Yonsei Dent, has highlighted insights from the Spent Output Age Bands (SOAB) indicator. 

This metric tracks Bitcoin gross sales exercise based mostly on the holding intervals of buyers, providing a clearer image of promoting stress throughout totally different market individuals.

The data reveals that holders with the 6–12 month interval have been probably the most energetic sellers throughout the current Bitcoin rally, primarily capitalizing on income made throughout the market’s upward surge earlier this yr.

Supply: CryptoQuant

Curiously, these buyers, who possible purchased Bitcoin across the time of the spot ETF launch in early 2024, have been a major supply of promoting stress, contributing to the present worth stagnation.

Nonetheless, long-term holders—those that have held Bitcoin for over a yr—seem to have offered comparatively little throughout this era. 

Moreover, the Binary CDD (Coin Days Destroyed) indicator reveals a decline in older Bitcoin gross sales in December in comparison with November.

Thus, many long-term holders stay optimistic about future worth will increase and are holding onto their positions.

Combined sentiment available in the market

Additionally, Bitcoin’s Open Curiosity offered further perception into the market’s path.

Open Curiosity represents the full worth of excellent Futures contracts and serves as a barometer for market sentiment and liquidity.

In line with data from Coinglass, Bitcoin’s open curiosity has decreased by 0.69%, reaching a valuation of $60.68 billion.

Supply: Coinglass

Bitcoin’s Open Curiosity quantity has additionally dropped by 1.45% to $94.14 billion.

These declines point out a discount in speculative buying and selling exercise, suggesting that merchants are exercising warning amid Bitcoin’s stagnant worth actions.

Decrease Open Curiosity usually indicators diminished market participation, which might restrict vital worth swings within the quick time period.

In the meantime, Bitcoin’s whale transaction exercise, has proven a pointy decline over the previous month.

Learn Bitcoin’s [BTC] Value Prediction 2025–2026

Knowledge from IntoTheBlock revealed that transactions exceeding $100,000 have decreased considerably, dropping from practically 40,000 transactions at first of December to only 16,700 as of the twenty fifth of December. 

Supply: IntoTheBlock

Whale transactions are sometimes seen as a powerful indicator of institutional or high-net-worth investor exercise, and a decline in these transactions suggests diminished market confidence or a short lived pause in large-scale accumulation.