Crypto whales are positioning carefully ahead of the US CPI print, and the moves are not one-sided. Inflation is expected to be 3.1% year-on-year for November, with core CPI near 3.0%, while labor market data continue to soften. That mix keeps markets split between delayed rate cuts and renewed easing hopes in 2026.
As a result, large holders are hedging across three very different setups. One involves adding exposure into strength, one trimming into rallies, and the last pick shows clear internal conflict between two different whale groups.
Pippin (PIPPIN)
If you are tracking what crypto whales are buying ahead of the US CPI print, Pippin (PIPPIN) stands out as a clear accumulation case.
Whales have increased their holdings by 12.34%, lifting their total stash to 410.56 million PIPPIN. They roughly added 45 million PIPPIN over the period. At the current price, that accumulation is worth close to $19 million.
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Key Whale Movement (7-Day): Nansen
Importantly, this buying has not paused. Whale balances have continued to rise even over the past 24 hours, albeit slowly. That behavior suggests positioning rather than short-term trading.
Price structure helps explain the confidence.
24-Hour Pickup Rising: Nansen
Pippin briefly touched its all-time high on December 16 and continues to trade just below that zone. The token remains inside a bullish flag pattern, a continuation setup that often resolves higher when broader market conditions turn supportive. Whales appear to be positioning for that outcome, potentially anticipating a neutral or slightly softer CPI print, which would keep rate-cut expectations alive into 2026.
The key upside level sits at $0.52. A clean daily close above that level would confirm the breakout and push PIPPIN into price discovery, opening room for another upside move from current levels.
PIPPIN Price Analysis: TradingView
Downside risk remains clearly defined. A $0.22 loss would weaken the flag structure and weaken the bullish case. A deeper breakdown could drag the price toward $0.10, which acts as full invalidation.
Overall, Pippin reflects selective risk-on behavior. Whales are adding exposure where structure supports upside, but only ahead of a macro event that could tilt conditions in their favor.
Maple Finance (SYRUP)
On the selling side, Maple Finance (SYRUP) presents a very different picture.
SYRUP is up nearly 4% over the past 24 hours and about 5% over the last seven days, outperforming a weak broader market. Despite that strength, whales have been moving in the opposite direction.
Whale holdings peaked at 507.83 million SYRUP on December 15. Since then, balances have fallen to 502.37 million, meaning whales have sold roughly 5.46 million SYRUP in just a few days. That equals about $1.5 million in net distribution.
SYRUP Whales: Santiment
This divergence between rising prices and falling whale supply is important, especially heading into a major macro event like CPI.
From a chart perspective, SYRUP has printed a lower high between November 24 and December 18. At the same time, the RSI (Relative Strength Index), a measure of momentum, has made a higher high. This creates a hidden bearish divergence. Momentum has improved, but the price has not followed through. That combination often signals exhaustion rather than strength.
The immediate downside level sits at $0.25. A break there exposes $0.23. On the upside, SYRUP must reclaim $0.31 with a clean daily close to invalidate the bearish setup. Without that confirmation, rallies remain vulnerable.
SYRUP Price Analysis: TradingView
This selling behavior suggests crypto whales are hedging macro risk. If CPI prints hot and rate-cut expectations get pushed out, higher-beta DeFi exposure becomes less attractive.
Fartcoin (FARTCOIN)
Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) presents the most conflicted crypto whale setup ahead of the CPI release. Price action has been decisively weak. FARTCOIN is down nearly 17% over the past 24 hours. Under normal conditions, this kind of move would trigger broad-based selling.
That is exactly what smaller whales appear to be doing over the past 24 hours.
Standard whale balances have dropped by 3.83%, reducing holdings to 115.45 million FARTCOIN. That implies a net reduction of roughly 4.6 million tokens.
However, mega whales are telling a different story. The top 100 addresses have increased their holdings by 4.3%, lifting their combined stash to 691.91 million FARTCOIN.
Fartcoin Whales: Nansen
This creates a direct conflict between whale cohorts.
On the 12-hour timeframe, a bearish EMA crossover is forming. An EMA, or exponential moving average, gives more weight to recent prices. The 20-period EMA is drifting toward a bearish crossover below the 50-period EMA, while the price continues to weaken.
That setup favors further downside. The most important near-term level sits around $0.26, which aligns with the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement and a structurally active demand zone. A clean break below it opens the door toward $0.23, and potentially $0.17 if selling accelerates.
Fartcoin Price Analysis: TradingView
For the bullish case to regain credibility, FARTCOIN must reclaim $0.35. That level has capped every rebound attempt since December 14.
Smaller whales appear to be respecting the bearish structure, while mega whales are positioning early, likely betting on volatility around CPI and the tendency for Solana-based meme coins to see sharp reflex bounces during macro-driven moves.
