🚨 Bitcoin Profit-Taking Surges: Net Realized Profits Spike to 2025 Highs

Whales are cashing out—hard. On-chain data reveals the sharpest realized profit-taking since Bitcoin's last bull run, signaling a potential inflection point.

Why it matters: When long-term holders dump coins into rallies, it often precedes short-term pullbacks. This isn't 2017's 'dumb money'—these are OGs locking in generational wealth.

The cynical take: Wall Street's still trying to front-run the halving cycle while retail FOMO kicks in. Some things never change—except the size of the bags getting dumped.

A Notable Rise In Bitcoin Net Realized Profit

While the crypto market saw a brief shakedown, Bitcoin is slowly losing its upward momentum, and the flagship asset has fallen to the $115,000 price mark. Meanwhile, on-chain data has revealed a substantial rise in BTC’s net realized profits after the crypto king’s recent rally to a new all-time high.

Darkfost, a market expert and author, shared the development on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The expert spotted the rise in profits after examining the BTC average of realized profits in the weekly time frame.

Such an increase in net realized profits implies that BTC investors are steadily locking in gains, which signals intensified profit-taking across the market. The development frequently highlights a critical stage in market cycles, when Optimism is high but caution starts to grow.

According to the market expert, this heightened profit-taking has been ongoing since the end of June. Currently, profit-taking by BTC investors is at a record high, reaching as much as $3.3 billion during the period.

Following his examination of the chart, Darkfost revealed that the heavy selling of old BTC largely spearheaded the spike in realized profits. This selling spree among the cohorts has recently taken over the headlines in the community. Specifically, these sales, which started around July 14 and 15, provide a clear explanation for the 7-DMA profit jump observed on the chart. 

After a notable increase in selling pressure, the expert noted that profit-taking has started to decline since then. In the event that this trend continues, Darkest believes the development could give Bitcoin some room to breathe, allowing it to continue its upward trend.

BTC Old Hands Are On The Move Again

As bitcoin maintains its upward traction, Darkfost reported that seasoned investors, often referred to as old hands, are moving the asset in significant quantities. This massive movement of BTC is observed among investors aged between 3 and 5 years.

Data shared by the expert shows that over 10,600 BTC has been transferred by this cohort, which represents a value of approximately $1.3 billion. The development reflects a shift in sentiment among the most patient investors, raising concerns about the current bull market phase. 

Regardless of whether these movements indicate profit-taking, strategic repositioning, or readiness for more significant market shifts, the activities of these seasoned holders typically occur prior to notable turning points in Bitcoin’s price cycles.