After a loss of 20 million, кит doubled down on the shorts.

A well-known cryptocurrency whale, dubbed the ‘Air Force Commander’ with the address 0xd83, demonstrated rare persistence in trading. According to the analytics platform ChainCatcher, the whale not only recovered after a massive liquidation but also significantly increased its short positions on major cryptocurrencies.

Rapid Recovery After the January 22 Shock

On January 22 at 3:30 AM UTC+8, a massive liquidation swept through this trader. In a single blow, the portfolio lost over $20 million — simultaneously closing five positions totaling approximately $199 million. However, the whale showed determination, immediately reopening and expanding its shorts right after this event. The total holdings grew from $266 million to $305 million, and the portfolio currently shows an unrealized profit of $2.6 million over the past 24 hours.

New Strategy: Diversification by Coins and Leverage

An interesting turn occurred in asset selection. While previously the whale focused on traditional assets, it has now added an aggressive Solana position with 20x leverage. The SOL position amounts to 123,000 units, valued at $15.86 million with an average entry price of $127.9. The liquidation level is set at $157, implying a potential loss of 23% if this level is breached.

Meanwhile, the whale increased pressure on classic assets. The Bitcoin short has grown from $145 million to $150 million, with a fixed average entry price of $91,000 and liquidation at $91,800. The Ethereum position increased from $96.1 million to $106 million — the trader is confident ETH will fall below its average entry price of $3,067 (liquidation at $3,061). Even the exotic PEPE received attention: the position expanded from $13.3 million to $19.3 million, with liquidation already close at $0.0058, based on an average price of $0.0049.

Why the Whale Remains Short

The history of this address shows that it is no stranger to short positions. Previously, it held assets worth close to $500 million and was the largest holder of shorts on Bitcoin, Ethereum, PEPE, and XRP. For such an experienced trader, doubling down after a liquidation is not despair but calculation. The whale seems confident in an upcoming market correction and expects that its liquidation levels will remain out of reach of price spikes.

However, the risk remains significant. Especially vulnerable is the Solana position with 20x leverage — any sharp rise in SOL above $157 will lead to automatic exit from the game. The actions of this whale serve as an excellent indicator of professional market sentiment, even if its forecasts do not always come true.