Bitcoin Peaks at $107K Before Slipping Under $105K—Then Whales Pulled the Plug

The rally didn’t last. Bitcoin tumbled under $105,000 after market manipulation unleashed a cascade of liquidations worth hundreds of millions.
In the past two days, Bitcoin experienced increased volatility. The asset briefly reached $107,000 before retreating nearly 5% to $102,000. As of writing, it trades near $103,000. This fluctuation was driven by Moody’s downgrade of the United States’ credit rating and subsequent market manipulation typical in such high-uncertainty scenarios.
The volatility sparked liquidations worth $670 million. Long positions bore the brunt, losing $465 million. Ethereum once again outpaced Bitcoin in liquidation volume, logging $254 million compared to Bitcoin’s $168 million.
Volatility may have spiked, yet investors stay positive:
- The Fear & Greed Index hit 71—pure greed.
- Bitcoin dominance spans over 63% of the market.
- The Altseason Index is back at 25, a sign of strong Bitcoin-led momentum.
Traditional markets? A bit calmer:
- Gold is +1.49% since Monday morning (May 19).
- Oil is down 1.15%, and the S&P 500 has slipped 0.6%..
Chart Check: Bull Trap or False Breakout?
Bitcoin managed to close both the daily and weekly candles above $105,000, a level many consider crucial for reclaiming new highs. But within hours, the price slipped back into its earlier range. A close below $103,000 today would likely erase the entire upside move.
May 18 locked in a weekly close at $106,500—Bitcoin’s highest ever. Analysts called it a breakout. Above $105K, they said, new highs were likely. But right now? It’s starting to look like the bull trap we flagged last time.
Big Inflows ≠ Big Rally
Оn May 16, 2025, spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. saw net inflows of $260.2 million. But here’s the catch—it all came from three players: IBIT, FBTC, and ARKB. BlackRock’s IBIT alone brought in nearly half—$129.7 million. The rest of the funds? Total silence.
Willy Woo has a reality check for the bulls. Bitcoin isn’t going vertical forever. He calls it a macro asset now—and the numbers back him up. Annualized returns have cooled off to 17–20%, even as Wall Street piles in. Last year? We were talking 60 to 70 percent. Those days may be done.
And it's trending downwards as the network continues to store more capital. BTC is now traded as the newest macro asset in 150 years, it'll continue to absorb capital until it reaches its equilibrium.
He believes Bitcoin’s long-term rally will taper off only when its compound annual growth rate stabilizes at around 7–8%. That moment, however, isn’t on the immediate horizon. For now, he says, long-term investors can still expect strong performance from BTC—far outpacing most conventional investments.
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