Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is trading around $95,500, down 3.4% over the past 24 hours, as on-chain data and whale activity suggest predictions of an imminent bear market lack substantial evidence.

What Happened: Ki Young Ju, founder of CryptoQuant, pointed out in a post on X on Dec. 26 that whale accumulation, once market-moving news, has now become a routine phenomenon.

This indicates a market dominated by institutional players, while retail investors remain hesitant.

A $7 billion weekly capital inflow confirms Bitcoin is in a bull cycle, not a bubble.

A true bubble—marked by a market price far exceeding capital inflows—would spark warnings of a cyclical top, which analysts have yet to issue.

Brief corrections of up to 30% are possible but unlikely to derail the ongoing bull cycle. The cycle's peak is still distant, and predictions of a bear market lack support from on-chain data.

In another post on the same day, he revealed whales are increasingly utilizing privacy transactions for accumulation.

Of the 1.55 million BTC accumulated in 2024 through ETFs, MicroStrategy,and custodial wallets, 240,000–420,000 BTC remain unaccounted for, signalling large, unidentified buyers.

Also Read: Bitcoin Price Decisively Back Below $100,000: What Is Going On?

Why It Matters: Traders maintain their optimism around upcoming price patterns for the crypto king.

Crypto trader Jelle sees the recent Bitcoin volatility as insignificant in the bigger picture.

The trend remains upward, with dips acting as minor speed bumps. He advised his followers to "stay focused."

On the other hand, crypto chart analyst Ali Martinez flagged a buy signal on Bitcoin's hourly chart which implies a price rebound.

• Crypto Analyst: '2025 Will Continue To Be a Great Year for Bitcoin'

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