Bitcoin Crash Wasn’t Panic—It Was Precision by Market Makers

Between June 22 and 24, the crypto market experienced a sharp drop, with Bitcoin plunging from $106,441 to $98,215—a loss of over $8,000 in just 48 hours.
Many rushed to blame the Middle East conflict, but new on-chain analysis, shared by CryptoQuant suggests something very different: no panic, no mass exit—just calculated manipulation.
Undervalued, Not Fearful: NVT Ratio Paints a Calm Picture
One of the clearest signals came from the Bitcoin NVT Ratio, which compares market cap to network activity. The metric averaged 45.04 during the decline, with its 30-day EMA at 38—both within undervaluation territory. Historically, these levels suggest Bitcoin was underpriced, not overbought or dumped out of fear.
Realized Cap Rises—Investor Capital Didn’t Flee
Even more telling, Bitcoin’s Realized Cap—which reflects the total value based on actual transaction prices—increased by $629 million during the crash, rising from $946.07B to $946.70B. This means more money entered the system, not exited. A true panic sell would have sent this number downward.
Whales and Humpbacks Held Steady—or Bought More
CryptoQuant’s UTXO Value Bands also showed that wallets holding 1,000 to 10,000 BTC (whales) and those holding over 10,000 BTC (humpbacks) did not sell. On the contrary, some high-value addresses increased their positions, further disproving the idea of large-scale dumping.
Simultaneous Selloffs Hint at Market Maker Activity
The final clue lies in the structure of the drop. Almost all tokens declined at the same time, with nearly identical chart patterns. According to CryptoQuant, this level of synchronization likely points to market makers—powerful entities capable of moving liquidity across exchanges. The report suggests these actions could have benefited centralized exchanges (CEXs) and insiders.
Conclusion: The Crash Was Engineered, Not Emotional
Far from a panic-driven selloff, the data tells a story of strategic market orchestration, not retail fear. With whales accumulating, capital increasing, and on-chain indicators flashing undervaluation, CryptoQuant concludes the dip was driven by coordinated players, not investor anxiety.