Crypto Explodes Beyond $4 Trillion: Should Small Investors Take the Risk or Withdraw?

(Dan Tri) - Crypto surpasses $4 trillion mark, whales manipulate, bitcoin holds $113,000, ethereum could hit $250,000. What strategy should retail investors choose to survive?

On September 9, the cryptocurrency market opened the new week with a “green wave” spreading across the electronic board. 95/100 leading coins increased in price, pushing the total capitalization of the entire industry up by 2% and surpassing the 4,000 billion USD mark for the first time. The two “locomotives” bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) both increased by 1.3%, trading around the important milestones of 113,000 USD and 4,359 USD, respectively - seemingly small numbers but with great psychological significance for investors.

At first glance, the picture appears to be relatively bright, a reassurance after a correction that has lasted for the past month. However, hidden behind that optimistic shell is a complex undercurrent. In the crypto world , seemingly random fluctuations often reflect the orchestration of “whales” – a group of investors holding huge amounts of assets, able to change market sentiment with just one transaction.

In parallel, traditional Wall Street is also moving step by step into blockchain with ethereum emerging as the number one candidate to become the next generation global financial platform.

Market sentiment, as measured by the Fear & Greed Index, rose only slightly from 42 to 44 points - still in the "neutral" zone. Investors were less fearful but not necessarily excited, largely because they were waiting for US CPI data to be released on September 11.

According to expert Sean Dawson (Derive.xyz), the market has "pre-bet" on the scenario of the Fed cutting interest rates, but any surprise from the CPI could fuel volatility.

On September 9, crypto covered the price board in green: capitalization exceeded 4,000 billion USD, bitcoin maintained the threshold of 113,000 USD, ethereum touched 4,359 USD (Photo: CNBC TV18)

Inside the "whale tank": Decoding market manipulation tricks

Beneath the macro analysis lies a more mundane reality: the cryptocurrency market remains an ocean where “whales” – individuals or organizations holding huge amounts of coins – can create waves that can overwhelm small investors.

According to an exclusive report from Fleet Miner, whales often use carefully calculated strategies to manipulate the market, preying on the greed and fear of the crowd. Common tactics include:

Pump-and-Dump: Whales quietly buy a large amount of an asset at a low price. They then launch huge buy orders, creating a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), artificially driving up the price. When retail investors jump in, the whales dump all their accumulated assets, making huge profits and leaving the market in red.

Spoofing: This is a psychological trick. “Whales” place extremely large buy or sell orders with no intention of executing them. For example, a huge “buy wall” can create the illusion of strong support, encouraging investors to buy. Conversely, a “sell wall” can cause panic. As soon as the market reacts, these fake orders are canceled.

Flash Crash: By dumping a large amount of coins in a very short period of time, "whales" can trigger a chain of liquidations on derivatives exchanges, causing a sudden price crash. They can then buy back the same asset at a much cheaper price.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step to avoiding falling victim. When you see a sudden spike in price without solid fundamental news, it could be a trap.

Ethereum and the "1971 moment": Wall Street's big gamble

If the whale game is a short-term battle, the vision of the industry's big thinkers is set for a more distant future, and there, ethereum plays a central role.

The renowned financial research firm Fundstrat, led by strategist Tom Lee, has just made a shocking prediction. They believe that if bitcoin hits $1 million, ethereum could reach a staggering $250,000. Even in a more modest scenario, if BTC hits $250,000, ETH could trade at $62,500.

The basis for this extreme optimism lies not in technical charts, but in a fundamental revolution: tokenization.

Tom Lee has likened ethereum's current phase to America's "1971 moment." That was the year the US abandoned the gold standard, ushering in an era of unprecedented financial innovation on Wall Street. Today, blockchain, and ethereum in particular, is poised to become the foundation for a similar wave of innovation.

“What will Wall Street do in the next 10 to 15 years to innovate on blockchain?” Lee asked. “They will build stablecoins that tokenize stocks, credit, real estate, even reputation and intellectual property. And much of this will happen on ethereum.”

This vision is no longer just a theory. The clearest evidence is the recent move by Nasdaq. The world's second-largest stock exchange has officially filed with the SEC to trade tokenized US stocks.

This historic move could create a solid bridge connecting the traditional financial market worth hundreds of trillions of dollars with the blockchain world. At the same time, in China, Ant Group is also bringing more than 8.4 billion USD of energy infrastructure assets onto the AntChain platform.

Tom Lee’s optimism is more than just words. Last June, the company he leads, Bitmine, bought nearly 2 million ETH (worth over $8 billion), representing about 1.5% of the total supply. It was a huge “bet,” a bold statement of faith in the future of ethereum.

Strategy for smart investors: "Conquering whales" and catching the long-term wave

Between short-term fluctuations and long-term perspectives, individual investors need a disciplined strategy to survive and thrive.

Think long-term and dollar-cost averaging (DCA): The most effective way to counter the tricks of whales is to not try to “surf” them. Instead, use a strategy called Dollar-Cost Averaging – investing a fixed amount of money at regular intervals (e.g., weekly or monthly) regardless of price fluctuations. This approach minimizes the risk of buying at peaks and builds a solid position over time.

Smart diversification: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. A balanced portfolio should include "digital gold" like Bitcoin (as a store of value), potential smart contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana, along with stablecoins to mitigate risk and be ready for buying opportunities when the market corrects.

Tight Risk Management: Always set stop-loss orders to protect capital from sudden price drops. The current market is showing a 20% chance that BTC could fall below $100,000 and a 20% chance that ETH could fall below $3,500. It is imperative to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Monitor on-chain data and ETF flows: Instead of believing the hype, monitor the actual data. When “whale” wallets start moving large amounts of coins onto exchanges, it can signal a sell-off. Similarly, spot bitcoin and ethereum ETF flows are an important indicator of institutional investor sentiment.

Latest data shows that while bitcoin ETF still attracted a net inflow of $368 million, ethereum ETF was withdrawn a net $96 million, showing short-term caution for ETH.

The cryptocurrency market is no longer the Wild West. It is gradually maturing into a complex financial ecosystem, with its own rules. By understanding the game of the "whales" and grasping the underlying technology trends, individual investors can absolutely turn chaos into opportunity and build prosperity in the digital financial era.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/crypto-bung-no-vuot-4000-ty-usd-nha-dau-tu-nho-nen-lieu-hay-rut-20250910095534153.htm