Bitcoin whale wallets hit an all-time high as bears open more short positions: What’s next?
Written by: Kamina Bashir
Edited by: Luis Blanco
October 16, 2026, 17:14 UTC
- Bitcoin wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have hit a record high.
- Binance funding has just turned negative.
- Bitcoin returns to $82,034. Which price levels will determine its next move?
The number of Bitcoin (BTC) wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC has risen to 20,338, a new all-time high, according to Santiment.
The count has increased significantly since mid-July, although the price of BTC has fluctuated several times during that same period.
Bitcoin wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC reach an all-time high.
Santiment described this trend as positive for BTC bulls. However, it warned that the price could still fall in the short term.
“Steady growth among Bitcoin’s most influential wallets creates a healthier foundation for future rallies if accumulation continues,” the company said.
Bears gain ground as money flows out of ETFs.
Even so, two other groups of investors have moved in the opposite direction this month. Bitcoin funding rates on Binance have turned negative, at -0.0073%, analyst Darkfost reported.
A negative reading means that most traders now hold short positions. The last time funding fell below zero was in June, when BTC was trading near $62,000.
Darkfost added that Binance includes an interest rate of 0.01% in its formula. Therefore, the neutral level is 0.01%, meaning any value below zero indicates strong bearish dominance.
He noted that this shift came after consumer and producer inflation data came in higher than expected, increasing the likelihood of an interest rate hike. BTC fell below $80,000 on October 15, following the producer inflation report.
ETF investors have also pulled money out. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of approximately $539.8 million between October 1 and 14. Outflows totaled $261.5 million on October 14 alone.
These funds had attracted $3.52 billion in net inflows in August and $2.65 billion in September.
Bitcoin’s price range spans from $74,000 to $88,000.
Aun así, $BTC has recovered some of its recent losses over the past 24 hours. $BTC is trading at $82,034, up 1.49% over the past day, according to BeInCrypto Markets data.