BTC, ETH, XRP Crash Sparks Whale Accumulation as Buy Signals Appear

Most major cryptocurrencies tanked over the past several days, led by bitcoin’s nosedive from $87,000 to under $81,000, which became its lowest price tag in well over two weeks.

Large altcoins such as $XRP and $ETH were not spared, with the former posting a double-digit decline over the past seven-day period. The question now is what whales were doing during this time, and what’s next for the underlying assets.

The $BTC Case

Some of the most probable reasons behind $BTC’s crash include substantial ETF outflows, FUD initiated by big transfers from the US government, macro news, and profit-taking. It’s worth exploring what whales did during this time of distress, and Ali Martinez pointed to a growing accumulation spree.

In a recent video on X, the popular analyst said these large market participants pressed the buy button hard on bitcoin, adding over $1.2 billion worth of the asset to their holdings in 72 hours.

In another bullish post, he explained that the TD Sequential has finally flashed a buy signal for the cryptocurrency on the four-hour chart. This came after the asset crumbled by 7% in a few days and hints at a potential rebound.

2/5 The TD Sequential is flashing a buy signal on Bitcoin’s four-hour chart.

It comes after $BTC fell 5.55%, from $86,976 on October 5 to $82,150 today.

The signal suggests this pullback may be nearing an end, with a rebound now worth watching. https://t.co/o9ZS4Q1anl

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) October 8, 2026

Here’s $ETH’s Situation

The leading altcoin crashed hard as well, tumbling from over $2,700 to $2,400 before it found some support. Although it rebounded to $2,500 on Friday, where it was stopped, it still remains well in the red on a weekly scale.

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According to Martinez, Ethereum whales didn’t just stand on the sidelines. They increased their holdings by 0.64%: in other words, they purchased around 166,000 tokens as the asset’s price corrected.

$ETH’s 8% decline also led to a change in the TD Sequential indicator. Similar to $BTC, the four-hour chart flashed a buy signal once the asset slipped below $2,550, where it currently sits. Martinez noted that the recovery can take $ETH to somewhere between $2,620 and $2,650.

What About $XRP?

Ripple’s native token remains down by double digits on a weekly scale, even though it rebounded from the local low at $1.34. On the plus side, the rejection at $1.51 and the subsequent retracement allowed whales to resume their accumulation spree.

Martinez said these big market players bought over 45 million tokens, worth around $63 million, during the nosedive. And, not to be outdone by $BTC and $ETH, $XRP’s four-hour chart also saw a new buy signal, according to the TD Sequential.

“An earlier sell signal aligned closely with $XRP’s local high. Now, the question is whether this buy signal marks a local low,” added Martinez.