Market maker Wintermute transfers out 101 BTC, recent controversial actions draw further attention

2026-01-12 04:03:51

According to the latest news, market maker Wintermute transferred out 101.22 BTC to an anonymous address at 11:58 today, valued at approximately $9,187,400. This operation has once again attracted market attention, especially against the backdrop of recent controversial actions by Wintermute. Currently, the BTC price is around $91,809, and the market is in a high leverage risk environment. The market impact of such large transfers is worth noting.

Recent Controversial Operations by Wintermute

The actions of market makers often serve as market indicators. According to relevant information, Wintermute’s operations during the New Year’s Day period in 2026 have sparked considerable discussion:

During the liquidity-sparse New Year’s Day, large amounts of Bitcoin were net deposited into exchanges
This operation coincided in time with a decline in Bitcoin’s price
The move is interpreted by the market as possibly risk hedging or liquidity management measures
Meanwhile, the SONIC main team began withdrawing tokens from Wintermute and several exchanges

This series of actions indicates that large market makers have become more cautious and active during periods of liquidity tension.

Current Market Context

The recent transfer of 101 BTC occurs in a special market environment:

Market Indicator	Data
Current BTC Price	Approximately $91,809
24-hour Change	Up 1.35%
Total Liquidation in Network	$167 million
Long Liquidation Ratio	Nearly 60%
Key Resistance Level	$95,000
Key Risk Level	$86,195

According to the latest data, the market’s high leverage risk has intensified. In the past 24 hours, total network liquidations reached $167 million, with nearly 60% being longs. If BTC falls below $86,195, it could trigger over $1 billion in long position liquidations.

Market Significance of Large Transfers

In this context, the large transfer by the market maker warrants cautious interpretation:

Possible Reasons

Liquidity management: adjusting positions to cope with market volatility
Risk hedging: defensive operations in a high leverage environment
Customer demand: fulfilling withdrawal requests from institutions or projects (e.g., SONIC team withdrawals)
Exchange adjustments: redistributing liquidity across exchanges

Market Impact

From on-chain data, large transfers are generally interpreted as neutral to cautious signals. Especially during the current sideways trading phase, waiting for macroeconomic and regulatory signals, the market maker’s movements may reflect their short-term market outlook.

Summary

While Wintermute’s transfer is a routine on-chain operation, in the context of recent controversial actions, it has once again become a focus of market attention. Key points to observe include: whether market makers are gradually reducing their exposure in a high leverage risk environment; whether large transfers indicate subtle shifts in market sentiment; and whether, during periods of weak liquidity, institutional-level capital movements could influence BTC’s breakout direction. In the short term, the market still needs to wait for clearer macro and regulatory signals to determine its direction.

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