Discover the Art of Whale Tracking: A Beginner’s Guide

Whales have been known to dictate crypto markets for years, making them the subject of much interest and fascination. These powerful and high net-worth individuals or entities are capable of controlling and manipulating crypto prices through trading large volumes in relatively illiquid markets. This makes tracking whales an important practice for those looking to stay ahead of market trends and sentiment changes.

Traditionally, tracking whales has been restricted to those with capital and technical expertise. However, recent advancements in technology have made it possible for anyone to track whales and their movements. In this post, we’ll cover the best whale tracking platforms and their inherent limitations.

What are whales?

Before diving into the specifics of whale tracking, it’s important to understand what whales are and how they operate. Whales are individuals or entities with significant capital at their disposal, making them capable of making large trades that can move markets. They are adept at spotting trends and narratives early, making them an important group to watch for anyone looking to stay ahead of market movements.

Why should we track whales?

There are several reasons why tracking whales is important. For one, institutions track them closely, which means that prices can change rapidly in response to their movements. Additionally, some whales can help in recognizing market bottoms and changes in sentiment, making them a valuable source of information for traders and investors alike.

How do people track whales today?

There are several platforms available today that allow users to track whales and their movements. The most popular of these is Nansen AI, which is known for its smart money tracking capabilities. Other platforms worth considering include Scope Protocol, which is a free alternative to Nansen, and Debank, which has a whale wallet leaderboard.

In addition to these platforms, there are several others that offer unique features and benefits. For example, Bubblemaps is known for presenting data in a digestible format, while Breadcrumbs and Arkham are similar to Bubblemaps in terms of functionality. Zapper, on the other hand, allows users to follow popular influencers in the crypto space quite easily.

Limitations of current whale tracking platforms

While these platforms have done a commendable job gathering and displaying whale data, there are still some fundamental issues that prevent them from truly uncovering alpha. Different platforms experience different combinations of these problems, and none of them solve for all.

One of the most significant limitations of current whale tracking platforms is the inability to track whales across multiple chains. This is a problem because whales are known to move their assets across different blockchains, making it difficult to keep track of their movements.

One important thing to note about whale tracking is that it’s not a foolproof strategy for making profits in the crypto markets. While whales can provide valuable insights into market sentiment and trends, they can also manipulate prices and mislead smaller investors. Therefore, it’s important to use whale tracking as just one of many tools in your investment strategy.

Another limitation of many whale tracking platforms is that they only focus on a single blockchain or cryptocurrency. This can be problematic if you’re looking to diversify your investments across multiple chains. For example, if you’re only tracking whales on the Ethereum blockchain, you may miss out on important movements in other networks like Binance Smart Chain or Solana.

To address this limitation, some whale tracking platforms are starting to expand their coverage to multiple chains. For example, Whale Alert, a popular platform that tracks large cryptocurrency transactions, recently announced that it will start monitoring activity on the Polygon network in addition to Ethereum. As more investors look to diversify their portfolios across multiple chains, we can expect to see more whale tracking platforms follow suit.

Another challenge with tracking whales is that it can be difficult to find all of the wallets associated with a particular individual or entity. While some platforms provide leaderboard-style rankings of the largest wallets in a given cryptocurrency, these rankings don’t necessarily capture all of the activity associated with a particular whale. Some whales may use multiple wallets or even spread their activity across different blockchains, making it difficult to track all of their movements.

To address this challenge, some platforms are experimenting with more sophisticated methods of identifying and tracking whales. For example, the blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis recently launched a new tool called Market Intel, which uses machine learning algorithms to identify clusters of related cryptocurrency wallets. This can help investors get a more complete picture of a particular whale’s activity, even if they’re using multiple wallets or operating across multiple blockchains.

Another limitation of many whale tracking platforms is that they don’t provide real-time notifications of whale activity. This means that investors may miss out on important price movements if they’re not actively monitoring the platform. To address this challenge, some platforms are starting to offer real-time alerts that notify investors of large transactions or other whale-related activity.

For example, Whale Alert offers a paid subscription service that provides real-time notifications of large cryptocurrency transactions. Other platforms, like Nansen and Debank, offer free alerts for certain types of whale activity. As more investors look to stay on top of market trends and movements, we can expect to see more platforms offering real-time whale tracking and notification services.

Finally, it’s important to remember that not all whales are created equal. Some whales may have more influence over the market than others, or may have a better track record of accurately predicting market trends. Therefore, it’s important to do your own research and due diligence when it comes to tracking whales in the cryptocurrency markets. Don’t just blindly follow the movements of the largest wallets — take the time to understand the underlying factors driving market movements and make informed investment decisions based on your own analysis.

In conclusion, tracking whales can be a valuable tool for investors looking to stay on top of market trends and movements in the cryptocurrency markets. While there are limitations and challenges to this approach, there are also a growing number of platforms and tools available to help investors track whale activity in real-time and across multiple blockchains. As the cryptocurrency markets continue to evolve and mature, we can expect to see more sophisticated approaches to whale tracking and analytics, ultimately leading to more informed and profitable investment decisions.

Another issue is the inability to set up notifications to track whale movements in real-time. This means that users have to manually check these platforms to stay up-to-date on whale movements, which can be time-consuming and impractical for many users.

Additionally, it can be difficult to find all the wallets associated with a given whale, as well as to determine which assets they are holding at any given time. This can make it tough to make informed trading decisions based on whale movements.

Finally, if everyone is following a particular whale, it’s no longer “smart money,” which can lead to alpha decay. This is a common problem in the crypto space, as everyone is always looking for an edge.

How does Loch solve all these problems?

Crypto whale watching is a popular practice among investors and traders in the cryptocurrency space. It involves tracking the movements of large investors, or “whales,” in an attempt to gain insights into market trends and make more informed investment decisions. However, there are several limitations to traditional whale watching tools that can make it difficult for traders to effectively track and analyze whale movements. In this article, we will explore how Loch solves some of these problems and enables more effective crypto whale watching.

Limitations of traditional whale watching tools

Before diving into how Loch solves these problems, it’s important to understand the limitations of traditional whale watching tools. Here are the six main problems that traders often face when using these tools:

1. You cannot track whales across all relevant chains.
2. You cannot receive notifications for specific whale movements.
3. You cannot create multiple cohorts of whales.
4. It’s unclear which assets to look at.
5. It’s difficult to find all wallets for a given whale.
6. If everyone follows “smart money,” it’s no longer “smart”- leading to alpha decay.

These problems can make it difficult for traders to effectively track whale movements and gain valuable insights into market trends. However, Loch provides solutions to these problems, making it easier for traders to engage in effective crypto whale watching.

Solutions provided by Loch

1. Problem: You can’t track whales across different chains.

Solution: Loch indexes the top 15 chains (based on DAUs + TVL) with negligible latency. You can create multichain ‘pods’ of whales in a few clicks. EVM, non-EVM, Bitcoin, Solana, no problem.

One of the biggest challenges in traditional whale watching tools is the inability to track whales across different chains. Loch solves this problem by indexing the top 15 chains based on DAUs (daily active users) and TVL (total value locked) with negligible latency. This allows traders to create multichain “pods” of whales in just a few clicks, regardless of the chain they are on. Whether you’re looking at EVM, non-EVM, Bitcoin, or Solana, Loch makes it easy to track whales across all relevant chains.

1. Problem: You cannot receive notifications for specific whale movements.

Solution: Loch allows you to find out when a certain whale moves more than any preset amount on-chain or when a dormant whale you care about becomes active.

Another challenge with traditional whale watching tools is the inability to receive notifications for specific whale movements. Loch solves this problem by allowing traders to set notifications for specific whale movements. You can find out when a certain whale moves more than any preset amount on-chain or when a dormant whale you care about becomes active. This allows you to stay up-to-date on important whale movements and make informed investment decisions.

1. Problem: You cannot create multiple cohorts of whales.

Solution: Loch allows you to create an unlimited number of ‘pods’ with each pod allowed an unlimited number of addresses. These pods can have addresses that are EVM, non-EVM, or even Bitcoin!

Another challenge with traditional whale watching tools is the inability to create multiple cohorts of whales. Loch solves this problem by allowing traders to create an unlimited number of “pods” with each pod allowed an unlimited number of addresses. These pods can have addresses that are EVM, non-EVM, or even Bitcoin. This allows you to track multiple cohorts of whales simultaneously, making it easier to identify important market trends.

1. Problem: It’s unclear which assets to look at.

Solution: Another problem that crypto investors often face is the difficulty of determining which assets to track. However, with Loch, you can use its filtering options to focus on specific assets. You can filter assets by chain, time period, and other criteria to get actionable data. For example, you can use Loch to find the most frequently purchased or sold token, or the largest volume bought or sold token.

1. Problem: It’s difficult to find all wallets for a given whale.

Solution: Finding all the wallets for a given whale is another major challenge for crypto investors. However, Loch makes it easy to find all these wallets. You can use a combination of snooping in your transaction history tab and the whale tracking feature to find all the wallets of a given whale. This feature is particularly useful when you are tracking whales that have been active on multiple chains or have multiple addresses.

1. Problem: If everyone follows “smart money”, it’s no longer “smart” leading to alpha decay.

Solution: One of the biggest risks of following whales is the so-called “smart money” risk. If everyone follows the same whales, then the strategy is no longer “smart” and may lead to alpha decay. With Loch, you can minimize this risk by focusing on the whales that impact your portfolio. You can input whale addresses manually or use Loch’s algorithmic recommendation engine. By tracking the whales that are most relevant to your portfolio, you can reduce the risk of following the herd and increase your chances of generating alpha.

In conclusion, crypto whale watching is a valuable tool for any serious investor in the cryptocurrency market. However, it comes with its own set of challenges, including the difficulty of tracking whales across multiple chains, receiving notifications for specific whale movements, creating multiple cohorts of whales, determining which assets to look at, finding all the wallets for a given whale, and avoiding the smart money risk. Fortunately, Loch offers solutions to all of these problems, making it an essential tool for any investor looking to gain a competitive edge in the market. With Loch, you can create multichain pods of whales, receive notifications for specific whale movements, create an unlimited number of whale cohorts, filter assets by chain and time period, find all the wallets for a given whale, and minimize the smart money risk by focusing on the whales that impact your portfolio. Best of all, you don’t need to be a coding expert or have massive capital expenditure to take advantage of this powerful tool.