Crypto whales position themselves cautiously before the U.S. inflation figures are released, and the movements are not one-sided. Inflation is expected to be 3.1% year-on-year in November, while core inflation remains close to 3.0 percent. However, labor market data continues to weaken. This combination keeps the markets divided between delayed rate cuts and new easing hopes for 2026.

The largest owners protect their positions in three very different ways. One strategy is to increase holdings during a rise, another cuts holdings during a price rally, and the third way highlights a clear internal conflict between two different whale groups.

Pippin (PIPPIN)

If you're following what crypto whales are buying before U.S. inflation figures, Pippin (PIPPIN) stands out as a clear accumulation case.

Whales have increased their holdings by 12.34%, raising their total to 410.56 million PIPPIN. They added about 45 million PIPPIN during this period. At the current price, this amounts to nearly $19 million.

Want more similar token analyses? Subscribe to the daily Crypto newsletter from managing editor Harsh Notariyan here.

Buying has not stopped. Whale levels have continued to rise even over the last 24 hours, albeit slowly. This suggests more positioning than short-term trading.

The price structure partly explains this confidence.

Pippin quickly touched its all-time high on December 16 and is still trading just below that level. The token maintains a bullish flag structure, which is a continuation pattern that often breaks upward when market conditions are favorable. Whales seem to be preparing for such a development and may be anticipating a neutral or slightly soft inflation figure, which would extend interest rate cut expectations into 2026.

A significant upper level is $0.52. If the daily close is clearly above this level, it will confirm a breakout and take the price of PIPPIN to new levels, enabling further upside from the current level.

The downward risk is clear. If the price falls to $0.22, it will weaken the bullish structure and outlook. A deeper decline could pull the price down to $0.10, which would completely negate the bullish scenario.

Overall, the situation with Pippin reflects selective risk-taking. Whales are increasing their presence where structures provide opportunities for upside, but only before a macroeconomic event that could tip the situation in their favor.

Maple Finance (SYRUP)

On the sell side, Maple Finance (SYRUP) offers a different perspective.

SYRUP has risen nearly 4% over the last 24 hours and about 5% over the past week, outperforming the broader weak market development. Nevertheless, whales have moved in the opposite direction.

Whale holdings reached a peak of 507.83 million SYRUP on December 15. Since then, balances have decreased to 502.37 million, meaning whales have sold about 5.46 million SYRUP in a few days. This corresponds to a net sale of around $1.5 million.

In particular, this divergence between rising prices and declining whale supply is crucial just before a significant macro event, such as the CPI release.

Looking at the chart, SYRUP has formed a lower peak between November 24 and December 18. At the same time, the RSI (Relative Strength Index), or sentiment indicator, has made a higher peak. This creates a hidden bearish divergence. Sentiment has improved, but the price has not followed suit. Such a development often indicates that the rally is losing steam and is not continuing.

The nearest support level is $0.25. If this level breaks, the path leads to $0.23. On the upside, SYRUP would need to rise and close the day clearly above $0.31 to negate the bearish setup. Without this confirmation, price rallies remain vulnerable.

Such selling behavior suggests that crypto whales are hedging against macro risks. If the inflation figure (CPI) is higher than expected and interest rate cuts are delayed, risky DeFi investments will no longer be attractive.

Fartcoin (FARTCOIN)

Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) is ahead of the CPI release with a cryptocurrency whose whale setup is particularly contradictory. The price has clearly dropped. FARTCOIN has fallen nearly 17% over the last 24 hours. Normally, such a move would trigger a widespread selling wave.

This seems to be the behavior of smaller whale wallets over the last 24 hours.

Standard whale wallet balances have decreased by 3.83%. Currently, 115.45 million FARTCOIN is held. This means a net reduction of around 4.6 million tokens.

However, the largest whale wallets tell a different story. The top 100 addresses have increased their holdings by 4.3%, and their combined balance is now 691.91 million FARTCOIN.

A direct contradiction arises between these whale classes.

A bearish EMA crossover is forming on the 12-hour timeframe. The EMA, or exponential moving average, emphasizes the most recent prices. The 20-period EMA is approaching a bearish crossover below the 50-period EMA, and the price continues to weaken.

This setup supports further declines. The key near-term support level is around $0.26, which coincides with the 0.618 Fibonacci level and an active demand area. If this near-term bottom support breaks, the path opens towards $0.23, and with increasing selling pressure, even down to $0.17.

For the bullish scenario to regain credibility, FARTCOIN needs to recover to the $0.35 level. This price has limited every attempt at recovery since December 14.

Smaller whales seem to respect the bearish structure. At the same time, larger whales are positioning themselves in time, likely awaiting volatility around the CPI release and relying on strong recoveries of Solana-based meme coins during macro movements.