Cryptocurrency markets are already on edge ahead of President Donald Trump’s prime-time address to the nation from the White House at 9 p.m. ET.
On-chain analysts have spotted a massive influx of Ethereum into Binance — a move traders often associate with potential selling pressure, even if the intent is unclear.
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Trump said in a “Truth Social” post on December 16 that he would address the nation live from the White House at 9 p.m. ET.
The president did not specify the topic of his speech, leaving markets to price in uncertainty ahead of the speech.
For cryptocurrency traders, high-profile political speeches can trigger sudden moves, not necessarily because of direct cryptocurrency policy, but because they can change expectations about the dollar, interest rates, risk appetite and market regulation.
This dynamic may lead some players to trim leverage or reduce exposure early.
On December 17, just hours before Trump addressed the nation at 9 p.m., blockchain analytics account Lookonchain reported that a whale wallet “completely exited with $10,169 ETH ($29.7 million),” claiming:
“In the past 3 years, whales have made a total of $11.36 million in profits from ETH transactions.”
The post links to Arkham Intelligence, and the address page shows that 10,169 ETH was transferred to the Binance deposit destination in recent activity.
As of this writing, Ethereum is trading at $3,014, up 1.8% in a day. Bitcoin is trading at $90,051, up 2.51% in the past 24 hours.
Large holders – often referred to as “crypto whales” – can influence liquidity and short-term price movements by changing their size, especially around major headline events.
In practice, traders tend to view whale deposits as a potentially bearish signal (potential selling), while withdrawals from exchanges are generally viewed as more bullish (potential long-term holding).
But these signals can be noisy: Whales also move funds for custody changes, collateral management, OTC settlement, or strategic rotations.
With Trump’s speech scheduled for 9pm ET, traders will likely be keeping a close eye on two things: whether more large wallets are sending crypto to exchanges in the hours leading up to the speech, and whether derivatives markets show signs of rapid deleveraging.