MarketsBitcoin
|3 min ReadBitcoin Price Absorbed $782M In Selling Pressure Without Flinching
Maya Chen
Senior Analyst
Published
Jan 16, 2026
The market is flashing a massive divergence signal.
Normally, when ETFs bleed nearly $1 billion in a week, Bitcoin price collapses.
This week, the opposite happened.
Data from SoSoValue shows a $782 million net outflow during Christmas week, capping a 6-day streak of $1.1 billion in selling. BlackRock’s IBIT alone dumped $193 million in a single day.
Bitcoin held the $87,000 level.
This price stability in the face of record institutional selling suggests the market has transitioned from "fragile" to "absorptive." The selling is real. The passive bid is deeper.
The Bear Trap: Holiday Positioning
The raw data is bearish. The context is administrative.
Kronos Research highlights this as "Holiday Positioning," not a fundamental exit.
Institutions are closing books for year-end tax harvesting and rebalancing. Liquidity is thin, which usually exacerbates downside moves. The fact that price didn't break down on thin liquidity confirms that sellers are running out of ammo.
The 2026 Macro Front-Run
The outflows are backward-looking. The smart money is forward-looking.
Rates markets are actively pricing in 75–100 basis points of Federal Reserve cuts for 2026.
We are seeing a rotation. Short-term allocators are exiting for tax reasons; long-term desks are preparing to front-run the 2026 easing cycle. The ETF flows are a lagging indicator of 2025 sentiment. The price action ($87k hold) is a leading indicator of 2026 demand.
The Verdict: Exhaustion
Glassnode argues this is a "sustained outflow phase." The price action invalidates this thesis.
If demand was truly cooling, Bitcoin would be trading at $80k right now given the flow magnitude.
The ability to absorb $1.1B of selling pressure at $87k creates a massive bear trap. When institutional desks reopen in January and flows normalize, the lack of sell-side liquidity could trigger a violent squeeze to the upside.
Disclaimer: This document is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed in this document are not, and should not be taken as, investment advice or recommendations. Recipients should do their own due diligence, taking into account their specific financial circumstances, investment objectives and risk tolerance, which are not considered here, before investing. This document is not an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned.