Whale Accumulation PulseTRINITY EXCLUSIVE
EXCLUSIVE - 30-day percentage change in illiquid (hodled/lost) supply, used as an aggregate proxy for large holder behavior. Positive pulse = accumulation ; negative pulse = distribution phase.
Trinity exclusive model
This metric is a proprietary Trinity Insights model. Its formula, inputs, weights and parameters are NOT disclosed. The page documents only the output (bounded scale, interpretation zones, historical context). Access to the score and its time series is via the REST API and the MCP server, subject to the required tier.
What is it?
Whale Accumulation Pulse measures the percentage change in illiquid supply (hodled_or_lost_supply) over a 30-day rolling window. A positive pulse means more coins moved to dormant state than exited over the last 30 days - holders are accumulating. A negative pulse means dormant coins are being reactivated - distribution phase. The metric uses hodled/lost supply as a proxy for large holder behavior, as they hold the majority of illiquid supply.
How to read
Pulse > +1%: strong net accumulation over 30 days. Pulse 0 to +0.5%: moderate accumulation, normal regime. Pulse < 0%: distribution - coins leaving dormant state. Extreme values (> +5% or < -5%) are very rare and correspond to major regime changes.
Key zones
Sustained negative pulse phases have historically coincided with market tops (HODLers distributing). Sustained positive pulse phases correspond to structural accumulation periods (bear markets, post-halving). A moderate and stable pulse (between 0 and +1%) is the most common regime.
What to observe
Pulse reversal from positive to negative is an early marker of behavioral change. A pulse moving from +0.5% to -0.3% in a few weeks indicates holders beginning to spend dormant coins.
Historical context
The most negative pulses were observed during speculative bull markets (2017, 2021) when old coins were spent massively. Extreme positive values (> +5%) in early data (2009-2010) reflect the nascent network where almost everything was 'hodled'.
Expert notes
⚠️ Trinity Exclusive Model - the hodled_or_lost_supply.pct_change(30) × 100 calculation as a proxy for aggregate large holder behavior is a proprietary formulation. The hodled_or_lost_supply series comes from the cointime economics framework (ARK Invest / David Puell 2023). 'Lost' coins are included, adding a slight structural positive bias over time. The 30-day window is a compromise between reactivity and daily noise filtering.
Common mistakes to avoid
The 'pulse' does not specifically measure whales - it measures aggregate illiquid supply behavior. A positive pulse can be caused by many small holders HODLing, not necessarily large wallets. The term 'whale' is a simplification.
Programmatic access
REST API
curl -sS \
'https://api.trinityinsights.io/api/v1/onchain/whale-accumulation-pulse/history?days=90' \
-H 'X-API-Key: $TRINITY_API_KEY'MCP server
{
"tool": "get_chart_value",
"metric_id": "whale-accumulation-pulse",
"timeframe": "1y"
}Required tier: performance. See the pricing grid for the tier list and the MCP documentation for multi-client configuration.
Related metrics
Institutional disclaimer
Trinity Insights is an educational and analytical tool. The metric above does not constitute investment advice. Trinity Insights is not a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) registered under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. See the full disclaimer.