On-Chain Data Academy (Part 3): Have the Whales Profiting from Bottom Feeding Cashed Out?
Original Article Title: "On-chain Data School (Part 3): Have the Bottom-Fishing Whales Taken Profit?"
Original Article Author: Mr. Berg, On-chain Data Analyst
This article is the 3rd part of the On-chain Data School series, with a total of 10 parts. It takes you step by step through understanding on-chain data analysis. Interested readers are welcome to follow this series of articles.
Related Reading: "On-chain Data School (Part 2): The Ever-profitable Hodlers, What Is Their BTC Acquisition Cost?"
TLDR
- This article will introduce the on-chain metric Realized Profit
- Realized Profit shows the daily amount of profit-taking in the market
- Massive Realized Profit is usually only caused by low-cost chip holders
- Tops are usually accompanied by massive Realized Profit
Realized Profit & Realized Loss Overview
Realized Profit, translated as "已实现利润" in Chinese, is based on the price of each BTC at the time of its last transfer and the price at the time of the previous transfer, calculating how many BTC are profitably settled each day. By summing up the total profit from these settled BTC, the daily Realized Profit can be obtained.
Of course, if the price at the time of the last transfer is lower than the price at the time of the previous transfer, it will be recorded as Realized Loss.

Realized Profit & Realized Loss Chart
Massive Realized Profit is Usually Only Caused by Low-Cost Chip Holders
As shown in the diagram below: Due to the high cost basis of holders, their profit margin is not large, so when they sell, the **Realized Profit** they can generate is not high.
Therefore, when we see a significant amount of Realized Profit, it usually means that holders with a low cost basis are selling BTC.

Realized Profit Calculation Diagram
Tops are usually accompanied by significant Realized Profit
When a large number of holders with a low cost basis sell their BTC, we will see clustered high-volume realized profits on the chart.
At this point, since the remaining participants in the market are high cost basis acquirers, and the market price is close to their cost basis, any slight shift in sentiment is more likely to trigger panic selling from them, causing a cascading price drop, forming a top.

Tops are usually accompanied by significant Realized Profit
Conclusion
The above is all the content of On-Chain Data School (III). For readers interested in delving deeper into on-chain data analysis, remember to keep track of this series of articles!
If you would like to see more analysis and educational content on on-chain data, feel free to follow my Twitter handle (X)!
I hope this article has been helpful to you. Thank you for reading.
You may also like

Russia’s Largest Bitcoin Miner BitRiver Faces Bankruptcy Crisis – What Went Wrong?
Key Takeaways BitRiver, the largest Bitcoin mining operator in Russia, faces a bankruptcy crisis due to unresolved debts…

Polymarket Predicts Over 70% Chance Bitcoin Will Drop Below $65K
Key Takeaways Polymarket bettors forecast a 71% chance for Bitcoin to fall below $65,000 by 2026. Strong bearish…

BitMine Reports 4.285M ETH Holdings, Expands Staked Position With Massive Reward Outlook
Key Takeaways BitMine Immersion Technologies holds 4,285,125 ETH, which is approximately 3.55% of Ethereum’s total supply. The company…

US Liquidity Crisis Sparked $250B Crash, Not a ‘Broken’ Crypto Market: Analyst
Key Takeaways: A massive $250 billion crash shook the cryptocurrency markets, attributed largely to liquidity issues in the…

Vitalik Advocates for Anonymous Voting in Ethereum’s Governance — A Solution to Attacks?
Key Takeaways Vitalik Buterin proposes a two-layer governance framework utilizing anonymous voting to address collusion and capture attacks,…

South Korea Utilizes AI to Pursue Unfair Crypto Trading: Offenders Face Severe Penalties
Key Takeaways South Korea is intensifying its use of AI to crack down on unfair cryptocurrency trading practices.…

Average Bitcoin ETF Investor Turns Underwater After Major Outflows
Key Takeaways: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs hold approximately $113 billion in assets, equivalent to around 1.28 million BTC.…

Japan’s Biggest Wealth Manager Adjusts Crypto Strategy After Q3 Setbacks
Key Takeaways Nomura Holdings, Japan’s leading wealth management firm, scales back its crypto involvement following significant third-quarter losses.…

CFTC Regulatory Shift Could Unlock New Opportunities for Coinbase Prediction Markets
Key Takeaways: The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is focusing on clearer regulations for crypto-linked prediction markets,…

Hong Kong Set to Approve First Stablecoin Licenses in March — Who’s In?
Key Takeaways Hong Kong’s financial regulator, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), is on the verge of approving…

BitRiver Founder and CEO Igor Runets Detained Over Tax Evasion Charges
Key Takeaways: Russian authorities have detained Igor Runets, CEO of BitRiver, on allegations of tax evasion. Runets is…

Crypto Investment Products Struggle with $1.7B Outflows Amid Market Turmoil
Key Takeaways: The recent $1.7 billion outflow in the crypto investment sector represents a second consecutive week of…

Why Is Crypto Down Today? – February 2, 2026
Key Takeaways: The crypto market has seen a downturn today, with a significant decrease of 2.9% in the…

Nevada Court Temporarily Bars Polymarket From Offering Contracts in the State
Key Takeaways A Nevada state court has temporarily restrained Polymarket from offering event contracts in the state, citing…

Bitcoin Falls Below $80K As Warsh Named Fed Chair, Triggers $2.5B Liquidation
Key Takeaways Bitcoin’s price tumbled below the crucial $80,000 mark following the announcement of Kevin Warsh as the…

Strategy’s Bitcoin Holdings Face $900M in Losses as BTC Slips Below $76K
Key Takeaways Strategy Inc., led by Michael Saylor, faces over $900 million in unrealized losses as Bitcoin price…

Trump-Linked Crypto Company Secures $500M UAE Investment, Sparking Conflict Concerns
Key Takeaways A Trump-affiliated crypto company, World Liberty Financial, has garnered $500 million from UAE investors, igniting conflict…

Billionaire Michael Saylor’s Strategy Buys $75M of More Bitcoin – Bullish Signal?
Key Takeaways Michael Saylor’s firm, Strategy, has significantly increased its Bitcoin holdings by acquiring an additional 855 BTC…
Russia’s Largest Bitcoin Miner BitRiver Faces Bankruptcy Crisis – What Went Wrong?
Key Takeaways BitRiver, the largest Bitcoin mining operator in Russia, faces a bankruptcy crisis due to unresolved debts…
Polymarket Predicts Over 70% Chance Bitcoin Will Drop Below $65K
Key Takeaways Polymarket bettors forecast a 71% chance for Bitcoin to fall below $65,000 by 2026. Strong bearish…
BitMine Reports 4.285M ETH Holdings, Expands Staked Position With Massive Reward Outlook
Key Takeaways BitMine Immersion Technologies holds 4,285,125 ETH, which is approximately 3.55% of Ethereum’s total supply. The company…
US Liquidity Crisis Sparked $250B Crash, Not a ‘Broken’ Crypto Market: Analyst
Key Takeaways: A massive $250 billion crash shook the cryptocurrency markets, attributed largely to liquidity issues in the…
Vitalik Advocates for Anonymous Voting in Ethereum’s Governance — A Solution to Attacks?
Key Takeaways Vitalik Buterin proposes a two-layer governance framework utilizing anonymous voting to address collusion and capture attacks,…
South Korea Utilizes AI to Pursue Unfair Crypto Trading: Offenders Face Severe Penalties
Key Takeaways South Korea is intensifying its use of AI to crack down on unfair cryptocurrency trading practices.…