When prices are being pushed higher, contract open interest is still rising, and the increase in position value is nearly one and a half times faster than the increase in the number of positions—this isn’t someone coming in to mess around; it’s money shifting toward the long side. In the past four hours there have been six consecutive bullish candles without a single break, and the funding rate has remained positive for eight straight periods. The longs are willing to pay for the rally—this signal is more honest than the candlesticks. I accept this logic. Meanwhile, the shorts are still across the way holding real money, propping things up day by day, whatever it takes. Once the trend is smooth, they don’t even give a decent pullback.