Author：Encryption Jianghu

• Whale accumulation failed to reverse AI16Z’s trend as bearish technical signals intensify.
• Price rejection at $0.3678 and long liquidations suggested limited bullish control.

A whale has acquired 5.57 million ai16z [AI16Z] tokens worth $2 million through Jupiter Aggregator, drawing attention as the market continues to show conflicting technical and sentiment signals.

At the time of writing, AI16Z traded at $0.3455, down 10.38% in the last 24 hours. 

While such large transactions often stir speculation, current price action and broader derivatives data suggest that immediate direction remains uncertain.

AI16Z derivatives sentiment – Falling Open Interest signals…

Open Interest (OI) has dropped 13.88% to $117.45 million, signaling broad position reductions. This decline suggests waning trader confidence or increased risk aversion following recent volatility.

Leverage is also cooling down—often a sign of an impending trend reset. However, a steep OI drop without price recovery indicates uncertainty rather than conviction.

Until new positions increase alongside rising volume, the market may remain choppy, with buyers hesitant around key resistance levels.

In the past 24 hours, long liquidations totaled $98.81K, compared to just $3.37K in shorts. This suggests bulls were caught offside.

Despite the wipeout, AI16Z failed to establish higher lows or reclaim previous support levels. Binance and Bybit led these liquidations, reflecting institutional de-risking.

This imbalance paints a bearish outlook unless the price stabilizes and reversal signs emerge.

Liquidation map – Rising short pressure, but buyers lack momentum

The liquidation map shows dense short leverage below $0.339 and a buildup above $0.36. The press time of $0.3455 sat in a key decision zone. 

While clearing shorts below $0.34 previously triggered upward wicks, price failed to hold those levels. This reveals that buyer strength may not yet match short pressure. 

In fact, rising short leverage on Bybit and OKX suggests traders expect further downside. Therefore, unless bulls push decisively above $0.36, short pressure could regain control.

AI16Z technical structure – Weak reaction at support 

AI16Z bounced off the 0.382 Fibonacci level at $0.3430, but the reaction remains weak. The 0.236 Fib at $0.3678 has acted as strong resistance, rejecting upward attempts. 

At press time, RSI was at 51.23, showing neutral momentum but no clear bullish divergence. Also, failed attempts to reclaim $0.36 show that bulls lack follow-through. 

Therefore, price may continue ranging or decline toward $0.3229 (0.5 Fib) and $0.3029 (0.618 Fib) if volume doesn’t return and RSI drifts below 50.

What’s next?

Despite a $2 million whale purchase, AI16Z has failed to hold above key levels.

Long liquidations dominate, OI is declining, and RSI indicates weakening momentum.

Unless bulls reclaim $0.3678 and shift volume in their favor, bearish signals suggest continued downside risk.

While this whale entry may indicate long-term accumulation, the short-term market structure remains fragile and vulnerable to deeper corrections.