Rising leverage during FUD usually indicates one thing: traders want to profit from market swings.
Simply put, as volatility increases, traders begin to stack shorts and longs, attempting to exploit rapid price swings for quick profits while creating opportunities that speculative traders want to exploit. It is striking that smart money now seems to be following this playbook.
According to Mint glassLeverage is recovering after the recent flush and Open Interest is back near 88K Bitcoin [BTC]. Certainly, the level is not yet extreme, but the ingredients for increased volatility are clearly returning. This could set the stage for sharp moves in either direction.
Whale data seemed to add another layer to look at. Large sales walls remain stacked between $72,000 and $74,000, creating significant overhead. On the other hand, whales have layered bids below the price, with support around $70.5,000 – $71,000 and a deeper cluster around $69,000 – $70,000.
In essence, such positioning strengthens AMBCrypto’s thesis. Amid the growing macro FUD, smart money wants to make profits by opening leverage and taking positions for or against Bitcoin. especially as BTC approaches the key resistance at $75K.
This obviously begs the big question: with the big sell orders piling up just below this zone, while the bids build below it, a breakout is now in danger. Or could this setup instead trigger a classic short squeeze, making BTC the main catalyst for getting past $75K?
The rising bullish sentiment and strength of the ETF indicate Bitcoin’s momentum
Well, Bitcoin’s current market positioning is a textbook example of resilience.
From a technical perspective, BTC’s year-to-date weekly gain of 9.54% is the strongest bullish weekly run since before the October crash. The latter eliminated market risks and caused a correction of more than 30% from the market top of $126,000. This is a notable difference, especially since volatility is still high due to the ongoing war.
In this context, it is important to separate short-term speculation from real accumulation. On the sentiment side is the Crypto Fear & Greed Index climbed from 16 to 32 and left the area of extreme fear. What this implied is that traders could gradually regain confidence in the market.
What makes this difference even more interesting, however, is JPMorgan’s recent observation.
According to CoinMarketCapSince the start of the war, Bitcoin ETF inflows have outpaced gold, with IBIT’s assets up around 1.5% while GLD’s have fallen around 2.7%. This means that despite ongoing macro uncertainty, investors may be with BTC increasingly preferred over traditional safe haven assets.
In this context, Bitcoin’s weekly resilience is no fluke. On-chain accumulation and a shift in sentiment mark the key differences distinguishing this rally from the FUD in Q4 2025. If this trend continues, whales’ positions are at risk of coming under pressure, further fueling this move.
According to AMBCrypto, this all points to one thing: a Bitcoin breakout past $75,000 looks increasingly likely, with smart money acting as the main catalyst driving the momentum.
Final summary
- The increasing leverage and whale activity indicate that smart money is positioning itself for potential BTC volatility.
- Strong weekly gains, improved sentiment and on-chain accumulation differentiate the current rally from the FUD of the past.