What Crypto Whales Are Buying and Selling on New Year’s Day 2026
If you’re studying this on New Year’s Day 2026, crypto whales are in all probability already forward of you. While most merchants are nonetheless waking up, large wallets have began shopping for and promoting early, hinting at the place early cash desires to be.
Some are positioning for a seasonal bounce, others are exiting after main purple flags. This snapshot of crypto whales’ New Year’s Day strikes exhibits the place large capital is shifting subsequent.
Chainlink (LINK)
Crypto whales started 2026 by shopping for Chainlink. Whale holdings rose from 505.34 million LINK on December 31 to 505.7 million LINK on New Year’s Day. That is about 0.36 million LINK added, value roughly $4.46 million on the present worth. This early whale conviction issues as a result of January has traditionally been robust for LINK.
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It gained +25.3% in Jan 2025, +24.9% in Jan 2023, and +100.7% in Jan 2021. The common January transfer sits close to +26.4%, which can clarify why whales are positioning now.
Whales could be betting that this January upside development repeats.
The LINK price chart must help the setup. Chainlink first wants a 2.5% elevate to interrupt $12.49, the important thing near-term resistance. That would open the trail to $13.36 and then $13.76, which has held as resistance since December 12. Clearing $13.76 and holding it turns consideration to $15.01, and a decisive break above $15 can gasoline strikes towards $16.77.
This bullish concept weakens if the value loses $11.71, which might problem the January optimism that whales are front-running. If that occurs, the early New Year’s Day whale accumulation begins to seem like a misfire as a substitute of a sign.
Ethena (ENA)
Crypto whales are promoting Ethena (ENA) on New Year’s Day. Holdings dropped from 6.31 billion ENA on December 31 to six.29 billion ENA on January 1. That is a discount of 0.02 billion ENA, which is 20.0 million ENA bought. At the present worth, that equals roughly $4.20 million in worth, leaving whale wallets. This promoting stress exhibits the alternative stance from Chainlink’s early accumulation and units a bearish tone.
That hesitation matches what is going on in fundamentals. Ethena’s TVL (Total Value Locked) has fallen from $14.98 billion on October 3 to about $6.48 billion now, which is a drop of somewhat over 56%. A decline of greater than 50% in whole cash locked can sign fewer customers, decreased borrowing or lending exercise, and diminished belief in present circumstances. This explains why crypto whales could be promoting throughout New Year’s buying and selling.
The ENA worth chart helps the cautious sentiment. A head-and-shoulders sample is forming, and the downward-sloping neckline exhibits sellers are creating decrease help factors.
This setup is riskier as a result of every bounce will get rejected sooner, which regularly results in sooner breakdowns if help ranges fail. If the neckline close to $0.15 breaks, it may set off a drop of round 25%, pushing ENA towards $0.10.
The bearish sample retains the danger of a drop alive even earlier than the neckline is reached, putting the primary essential degree at $0.17.
Buyers do have ranges that matter. A transfer above $0.21 begins to scale back the stress. Reclaiming $0.30 would invalidate the top construction and flip sentiment.
Right now, the mixture of whale promoting, a 56% TVL decline, and a bearish chart construction explains why ENA sits on the sell side for crypto whales getting into 2026.
Pendle (PENDLE)
Crypto whales are buying PENDLE on New Year’s Day though the chart is flashing threat. Their holdings rose from 193.54 million PENDLE on December 31 to 194.31 million PENDLE, including about 0.77 million PENDLE, value roughly $1.42 million on the present worth. This cautious shopping for stands out as a result of PENDLE is up 7.7% previously seven days whereas nonetheless sitting inside a bearish setup.
The worth chart exhibits a bear flag forming after a 42% drop from the November 2025 peak.
Additionally, this sample warns of continuation to the draw back if help breaks. The key first line of protection sits at $1.81. Losing that degree opens the trail to $1.65, the place a break can set off the complete flag breakdown and flip the market right into a slippery slope. That is why the whale accumulation is uncommon right here: they’re shopping for into breakdown threat.
There is one purpose whales could be taking the danger. The Smart Money Index simply crossed above its sign line, exhibiting knowledgeable merchants accumulating. Whales would possibly simply be piggybacking the sensible cash conviction.
If PENDLE breaks $1.94, it may take a look at $2.31. Clearing $2.31 invalidates the bear flag and begins a momentum reset that might shift sentiment.
Right now, PENDLE has probably the most attention-grabbing setup of the three. Crypto whales are shopping for whereas a breakdown threat is energetic, and sensible cash is matching their conviction. If PENDLE holds $1.81 and breaks $1.94, it turns into a speculative bounce candidate. Under $1.65, the conviction loses credibility, and the bearish flag takes over.
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