$18 Million Ethereum Loss Sends Whale Running To | Crypto News
A large crypto pockets that just lately took a sharp loss on Ethereum has restructured its holdings, shifting away from unstable tokens and rising publicity to stablecoins and tokenized gold, according to on-chain monitoring data.
The deal with drew consideration after an aggressive Ethereum buy late last yr went fallacious. Between November 3 and November 7, 2025, the pockets spent about $110 million to purchase 31,005 ETH at an average price of $3,581.
As costs slid, the place was unwound. Nearly the whole holding was offered for roughly $92.19 million, locking in a loss close to $18 million within two weeks. At current costs close to $3,020, that same Ethereum stack would now be valued at around $93.6 million.
Shift Away From Ether After Costly Exit
Based on studies from blockchain monitoring platforms, the sell-off marked a clear change in conduct. The pockets, once closely tied to Ethereum, no longer holds a large directional guess on the asset. Instead, balances have been unfold across cash-like tokens and commodities. The transfer displays warning slightly than an attempt to shortly get well losses.
An unknown whale, who misplaced $18.8M on $ETH in just 2 weeks, has deserted $ETH and rotated into #gold.
The whale has spent $14.58M to buy 3,299 $XAUT at $4,421 over the past 7 hours.https://t.co/hit6agWmHd pic.twitter.com/X7k94zV0iQ
— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) January 2, 2026
Gold Buying Shows Preference For Lower Volatility
According to on-chain information, the deal with started building a place in Tether’s tokenized gold product, XAUT. Starting on Friday, the pockets spent $14.58 million in USDT to buy 3,299 XAUT across a number of transactions.
The average buy price got here in close to $4,421 per token. This was not the first gold buy. A smaller XAUT acquisition was made on December 13, roughly three weeks earlier. As of the latest data, the pockets holds 3,386 XAUT tokens value about $14.92 million.
The broader portfolio now totals close to $91 million. About $58 million sits in USDT, another $18 million is held in USDC, while the rest is cut up between XAUT and a decreased Ethereum stability. The composition factors to capital safety slightly than high-risk positioning.
Metals Outperform Crypto In 2025
Returns from last yr help clarify the change. Reports have disclosed that Bitcoin fell by 6% in 2025, while Ethereum dropped 11%. Over the same period, gold surged over 60%, and silver rose an even steeper 147%.
Major stock indexes such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 also posted stronger efficiency than a lot of the crypto market. With those outcomes in view, some buyers seem more comfy holding belongings linked to metals or money.
Meanwhile, analysts at asset supervisor VanEck have pointed to 2026 as a doable recovery yr for the crypto market. Their view contrasts with the current conduct of large wallets shifting into stablecoins and gold-linked tokens.
The divide reveals how unsure sentiment stays after a yr when metals and conventional belongings delivered stronger good points than major cryptocurrencies.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
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