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BTC drops 0.41% within 15 minutes: whale selling at high levels combined with short-term profit-taking triggers a pullback
On May 5, 2026, from 16:30 to 16:45 (UTC), Bitcoin experienced a decline of -0.41% within 15 minutes, with the price dropping from 81,420.0 USDT to 81,056.6 USDT, a volatility of 0.45%. Earlier, BTC briefly broke through $81,000 to hit a new high for the year, and the short-term rally combined with high-level fluctuations drew market attention.
The main driver of this price movement was whales (entities holding ≥1,000 BTC) transferring large amounts to exchanges at high levels. Data shows that around the event window, whales transferred a total of 14,250.66 BTC to exchanges, with a transfer value of approximately $420k ten minutes prior, and net inflows to exchanges increased significantly, directly indicating potential selling pressure. On-chain data indicates that some large holders chose to reduce their positions at new high points, triggering a short-term price correction.
Additionally, futures market trading volume slightly increased during the window, indicating short-term funds taking profits at high levels, further accelerating the downward movement. The total BTC transfer volume across the network remained stable during the event window, suggesting that overall fund flows outside of whales did not show abnormal activity, and the price movement was mainly driven by large holders’ actions. On a macro level, U.S. military operations in the Strait of Hormuz did not trigger market panic, and BTC and ETH performed relatively strongly, but the concentration of profit-taking at high levels remained a key catalyst for this correction.
Short-term volatility risks should be monitored. If whale transfers to exchanges continue to increase, further pullbacks may occur. Key indicators to watch include net inflow of whales, changes in on-chain holdings structure, and futures market positions. Investors are advised to pay attention to the support level around $81,000 and remain alert to intensified short-term fluctuations.