Are Institutions Crashing The Bitcoin Price On Purpose? Here’s What People Are Saying

Crypto pundit Ash Crypto has drawn attention to speculations about how institutions could be crashing the Bitcoin price on purpose. This comes as the Bitcoin ETFs continue to record massive outflows, which have caused this latest decline for the leading crypto. 

In an X post, Ash Crypto claimed there were rumors that institutions are purposely crashing the Bitcoin price so they can buy at lower prices before the Clarity Act is signed into law. The pundit noted that a similar pattern had played out in August 2022, when BlackRock filed for a private Bitcoin trust, and BTC later dropped about 36% before forming a bottom. 

Following that, BlackRock then filed for a spot Bitcoin ETF, and the Bitcoin price later surged by 95%. Ash Crypto noted that BTC hit a new high in January 2024, when spot ETFs were approved. He added that insider institutions are repeating the same strategy with the Clarity Act narrative. 

The Bitcoin ETFs have largely contributed to the decline in the Bitcoin price, with these funds recording outflows in 13 out of the last 14 trading days. During this period, their total net assets have dropped from around $104 billion to $82 billion. Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor also cited these outflows in his comments on the BTC crash. 

In an X post, Saylor said that the capital markets are funding the AI buildout at a historic scale, with $400 billion deployed over six months, while BTC ETFs have seen $4 billion in outflows since May 14, pressuring the Bitcoin price. He declared that this is a capital rotation, not a BTC impairment, while adding that volatility creates opportunity. 

Crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen has reiterated that the Bitcoin price is simply following the four-year cycle. He also mentioned that the bull case for BTC is that if the economy is still doing well after the four-cycle low is put in, then it should have no problem starting its next bull market. Based on historical trends, the bear cycle low could happen by the fourth quarter of this year. 

Meanwhile, Cowen noted that midterm years always feel really bad for crypto, and that this one is even worse, since the Bitcoin price topped on apathy. He opined that Bitcoin will survive, although many crypto assets may die out. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez warned that BTC is not looking good at the moment and that the leading crypto could drop to the next major area of support between $54,000 and $50,000. 

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $63,100, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.