Crypto Whale Cashes in $100M by Betting Against CZ’s Hype

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A crypto whale, who might just be the Robin Hood of decentralized finance, pocketed a cool $100M by shorting ASTER, ETH, XRP, and other cryptos. Turns out, betting against CZ Binance isn’t just a pastime-it’s a goldmine.

ASTER Buy Sparks Market Frenzy-and a Contrarian Whale Windfall 🐋💸. Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the Binance founder who probably owns more tokens than most people own socks, announced he bought over 2 million ASTER tokens. Cue the collective gasp of the crypto world.

His announcement sent ASTER’s price soaring by $1.26, which sounds impressive until you remember that crypto prices are as stable as a caffeinated squirrel. Sure enough, ASTER’s value plummeted by more than 20%, now trading at a humble $0.84. Trading volumes? Halved. Investors? Spooked. 🕵️‍♂️

While CZ was busy waxing poetic about his “buy-and-hold” strategy (spoiler: it’s not going great), our “anti-CZ whale” was laughing all the way to the decentralized exchange. This trader racked up $21 million in unrealized gains on ASTER shorts alone. Across various short positions, their total gains hover around $100 million. Not bad for betting against the hype. 🤑

Anti-CZ Whale’s Bold Strategy: Betting Against Market Sentiment (and Sanity)

Instead of succumbing to the buy frenzy, this whale doubled down on shorting ASTER and Ethereum (ETH). Because why follow the crowd when you can make millions by doing the exact opposite? 🤷‍♀️

Their contrarian approach paid off handsomely, especially as the crypto market lost 3.75% of its cap. Fear sentiment hit 27, and liquidations soared past $1.3 trillion, with longs accounting for $1.2 billion. Talk about a bloodbath. 🩸

This trader’s strategy avoided the dreaded FOMO and capitalized on price corrections caused by macro forces and, oh, the $120 million Balancer exploit. Because nothing says “crypto” like a hack-induced plunge. 👾

Crypto influencers hailed the anti-CZ bet as “gutsy,” which is just a polite way of saying, “Damn, that was risky.” But hey, when you’re making $100 million, who cares about polite? 💪

CZ’s Own Words: “I Buy and Hold, Not a Trader” (Read: “I’m Not Losing Money Yet”)

CZ took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his ASTER purchase, insisting he’s a long-term investor, not a trader. Sure, CZ. And I’m a morning person. ☕

His tweet sparked an initial buying frenzy, but the subsequent market downturn played right into the hands of our anti-CZ whale. It’s almost poetic, really-the hype giveth, and the fundamentals taketh away. 📉

This saga perfectly encapsulates the crypto market’s chaos, where hype and fundamentals often part ways faster than a couple on a reality show.

The divergent strategies of CZ and the whale highlight two approaches to navigating the crypto rollercoaster: one cautiously optimistic, the other gleefully contrarian. And hey, as long as someone’s making money, who’s to say which is right? 🎢

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2025-11-05 08:30