Analysis of Recent Bitcoin Sell-Offs and Mt. Gox Repayments Impact
A cryptocurrency wallet labelled under the jurisdiction of the German government has initiated substantial Bitcoin sales, amounting to about $900 million. This move has raised concerns about the potential negative effect on the BTC price due to increased selling pressure.
According to onchain data disclosed by Arkham Intelligence, the wallet linked to the German government executed significant transactions on July 8 by transferring approximately 16,309 Bitcoin to various external addresses. This transaction volume represents the largest daily liquidation of Bitcoin associated with the German government.
Notable transfers included sizeable amounts sent to renowned crypto exchanges like Bitstamp, Coinbase, and Kraken, as well as market makers such as Flow Traders and Cumberland DRW. For instance, a considerable 3,500 BTC was sent to Flow Traders, while 200 BTC, 400 BTC, and another 400 BTC were directed to Kraken, Bitstamp, and Coinbase respectively.
In addition to these transfers, another 700 BTC, valued over $38.5 million, were allocated to a wallet labelled as '139Po.' Although the specifics of this wallet remain undisclosed, it has previously received funds from the German government, including 550 BTC on July 2, 500 BTC on June 25, and 800 BTC on June 20.
The significant Bitcoin liquidations coincided with a notable downward trend in Bitcoin pricing during the European trading session. The price dropped by as much as 6.75%, declining from a peak of $58,200 to a low of $54,278 following the final series of blockchain transactions totalling 8,700 BTC.
As a result of these recent transactions, the German government has reduced its Bitcoin holdings by more than half. Data from Arkham reveals that their holdings have dwindled from 50,000 BTC to 23,788 BTC, equivalent to $1.3 billion since the initiation of the digital asset sell-off in June.
The subsequent drop in Bitcoin value triggered massive liquidations across the cryptocurrency market, with reports from Coinglass affirming the liquidation of $425 million worth of leveraged positions, with long positions accounting for $216 million.
Furthermore, over $189 million in Bitcoin positions were liquidated within a day, $87 million of which were liquidated over the last 12 hours. The liquidations consisted of $81 million from long BTC positions as opposed to $107.97 million from short BTC positions.
Bitcoin is currently finding support around the $54,700 mark, however, breaching this level could potentially lead to the liquidation of about $750 million in cumulative leveraged long positions across various exchanges, as suggested by Coinglass data.
At the same time, the initiation of Mt. Gox repayments has added to the selling pressure on Bitcoin. Creditors of the defunct Mt. Gox cryptocurrency exchange are set to receive repayments in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, totalling around $9 billion. Notably, crypto exchange Bitstamp is aiming to expedite the disbursement of its share of Bitcoin repayments to Mt. Gox creditors, further influencing market dynamics.
Despite prevailing challenges, market participants anticipate a recovery in Bitcoin prices after the selling pressures from Mt. Gox repayments and German government sales diminish.
Currently, Bitcoin is trading at $56,433, experiencing a 1.52% decline over the past 24 hours.