You Got Played: The Biggest Bitcoin Bear Trap in Years Just Closed | by Chip Mahoney | The Capital | Mar, 2025
Bitcoin just flipped the script. After weeks of anxiety, red candles, and endless speculation about a deeper correction, the price action tells a different story — this was a bear trap, and those who sold at the bottom just got played.
It’s a familiar pattern. Bitcoin dips hard, technical analysts call for a deeper correction, and traders panic-sell while whales accumulate. The latest pullback to $78K triggered widespread fear, but just like clockwork, BTC reversed with a vengeance, surging back above $94K in a matter of days.
If you were waiting for $70K or lower, the market just left you behind.
A bear trap occurs when an asset’s price declines just enough to lure in short sellers and shake out weak hands — only to reverse suddenly and leave those traders scrambling to buy back at higher prices. That’s exactly what happened here.
On-chain data shows significant accumulation near the recent lows, with long-term holders and institutions scooping up BTC while retail investors hesitated. Add in the sudden influx of liquidity from a U.S. crypto reserve proposal, and you have the perfect…
