When IvanOnTech flags a “Tom Lee whisper / selling” type of moment, the real signal isn’t “Bitcoin is cooked.” It’s “smart money is de-risking ahead of potential turbulence.” That’s not a prophecy. That’s positioning.

Smart players don’t wait for the market to panic. We take risks before volatility shows up. If liquidity is low, leverage is high, or some trade is going bad behind the scenes, you can see sharp drops quickly. It’s not because the long-term story changed, but because the market structure got wobbly.

Here’s the thing: We keep an eye on the situation daily, and have a vetted trading strategy appropriate to our own risk aversion automated and in place. If insiders are selling (or hedging), it usually means they think things are about to get bumpy, with forced liquidations or a lack of liquidity. This is the kind of move where people who have taken on too much risk will lose everything, but those who pay attention and use technical analysis to make better decisions can make and keep a lot more money than those who enter the market without these guardrails in place. Traders I admire say anyone can learn to discern the best moves using technical analysis. In my book, it is far superior to be your own North Star than to listen (even to legends like) Tom Lee — No shade, Tom Lee — but look how late people who pay to be advised are hearing the call to de-risk. Here we are in December… Over 2 months after Ivan On Tech called for all us smart money folk to de-risk based on technical analysis which he was able to discern by reading the charts.

When someone like Tom Lee hints that big holders are selling Bitcoin, the real message isn’t “Bitcoin is dead.” It’s “big money is de-risking ahead of turbulence.” That’s a very different vibe.

In real life, this “cabal chat” talk usually refers to a shift in position. Institutions, desks, or big players are reducing their exposure because they anticipate a tough time ahead. This could include forced liquidations, funding problems, a lack of liquidity, or some underlying structural changes in the market (the kind of stuff that retail investors don’t notice until the market is already in trouble).

When credible market voices talk like this, they’re usually implying one (or more) of these:

A liquidity event might be near.

Not “bad news,” but “thin order books + panic sellers = sharp drops.”

Institutions do grown-up strategies (hedged positions, basis trades, collateral games). When those unwind, price can move fast and look “mysterious” if you’re only watching headlines.

Risk is being rotated.

“Selling” can mean trimming, hedging, moving to cash temporarily, or swapping exposure (spot vs. derivatives). It’s often tactical, not spiritual.

It does not automatically mean:

• “Bitcoin is over.”

• “A top is permanently in.”

• “You should panic sell.”

It means: the market may be entering a phase where patience and capital preservation beat heroics.

If you’re long-term bullish, this is a reminder to act like it:

• Reduce fragility (consider going no leverage, consider going no weak alts, remove “I hope” positions).

• Keep dry powder (stable coin holding is not betrayal; it’s maintenance of options).

• Let volatility work for you, not against you.

It’s not always advantageous to buy the dip. This is the part where technical analysts win. The people who make it through are the ones who know how to make money in any market. It’s not something we learn standing on the sidelines, but there are strategies that work better than assessing market sentiment or front-running the news when you have access to financial tools and technical analytics plus traders generous with their time who want to see you successful like we do today.

Maxximillian is an American female multidisciplinary multidimensional artist who creates in audiovisual interactive 3-D art. She is a singer-songwriter, music producer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. She hosts the weekly music news show Onchain Music Cabal covering niche music news, plus practical ethical and technical concerns of professional music musicians putting music onchain. The founder of Supreme Racket Records, she offers live music performances and musical demonstrations under her music moniker, ENDODECA.

“As an artist who sells art, music, and ticketed experiences onchain and as a developer of onchain things who earns in multiple cryptocurrencies, I have a tandem passion for crypto trading & investing. I know I offer more to the world as an individual by integrating DeFi and all its trappings into my art and lifestyle rather than operating with just what I earn entertaining, from IP and my innovations: exposure to technical analysis and unbiased crypto chat daily as a ritual we enjoy as we self-direct each our own education through first-hand experiences is the way.”

— Maxximillian

When IvanOnTech flags a “Tom Lee whisper / selling” type of moment, the real signal isn’t “Bitcoin is cooked.” It’s “smart money is de-risking ahead of potential turbulence.” That’s not a prophecy. That’s positioning.

Smart players don’t wait for the market to panic. We take risks before volatility shows up. If liquidity is low, leverage is high, or some trade is going bad behind the scenes, you can see sharp drops quickly. It’s not because the long-term story changed, but because the market structure got wobbly.

Here’s the thing: We keep an eye on the situation daily, and have a vetted trading strategy appropriate to our own risk aversion automated and in place. If insiders are selling (or hedging), it usually means they think things are about to get bumpy, with forced liquidations or a lack of liquidity. This is the kind of move where people who have taken on too much risk will lose everything, but those who pay attention and use technical analysis to make better decisions can make and keep a lot more money than those who enter the market without these guardrails in place. Traders I admire say anyone can learn to discern the best moves using technical analysis. In my book, it is far superior to be your own North Star than to listen (even to legends like) Tom Lee — No shade, Tom Lee — but look how late people who pay to be advised are hearing the call to de-risk. Here we are in December… Over 2 months after Ivan On Tech called for all us smart money folk to de-risk based on technical analysis which he was able to discern by reading the charts.

When someone like Tom Lee hints that big holders are selling Bitcoin, the real message isn’t “Bitcoin is dead.” It’s “big money is de-risking ahead of turbulence.” That’s a very different vibe.

In real life, this “cabal chat” talk usually refers to a shift in position. Institutions, desks, or big players are reducing their exposure because they anticipate a tough time ahead. This could include forced liquidations, funding problems, a lack of liquidity, or some underlying structural changes in the market (the kind of stuff that retail investors don’t notice until the market is already in trouble).

When credible market voices talk like this, they’re usually implying one (or more) of these:

A liquidity event might be near.

Not “bad news,” but “thin order books + panic sellers = sharp drops.”

Institutions do grown-up strategies (hedged positions, basis trades, collateral games). When those unwind, price can move fast and look “mysterious” if you’re only watching headlines.

Risk is being rotated.

“Selling” can mean trimming, hedging, moving to cash temporarily, or swapping exposure (spot vs. derivatives). It’s often tactical, not spiritual.

It does not automatically mean:

• “Bitcoin is over.”

• “A top is permanently in.”

• “You should panic sell.”

It means: the market may be entering a phase where patience and capital preservation beat heroics.

If you’re long-term bullish, this is a reminder to act like it:

• Reduce fragility (consider going no leverage, consider going no weak alts, remove “I hope” positions).

• Keep dry powder (stable coin holding is not betrayal; it’s maintenance of options).

• Let volatility work for you, not against you.

It’s not always advantageous to buy the dip. This is the part where technical analysts win. The people who make it through are the ones who know how to make money in any market. It’s not something we learn standing on the sidelines, but there are strategies that work better than assessing market sentiment or front-running the news when you have access to financial tools and technical analytics plus traders generous with their time who want to see you successful like we do today.

Maxximillian is an American female multidisciplinary multidimensional artist who creates in audiovisual interactive 3-D art. She is a singer-songwriter, music producer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. She hosts the weekly music news show Onchain Music Cabal covering niche music news, plus practical ethical and technical concerns of professional music musicians putting music onchain. The founder of Supreme Racket Records, she offers live music performances and musical demonstrations under her music moniker, ENDODECA.

“As an artist who sells art, music, and ticketed experiences onchain and as a developer of onchain things who earns in multiple cryptocurrencies, I have a tandem passion for crypto trading & investing. I know I offer more to the world as an individual by integrating DeFi and all its trappings into my art and lifestyle rather than operating with just what I earn entertaining, from IP and my innovations: exposure to technical analysis and unbiased crypto chat daily as a ritual we enjoy as we self-direct each our own education through first-hand experiences is the way.”

— Maxximillian