TLDR
- A whale bought more than 80,000 LINK worth $1.02 million through CoWSwap.
- Chainlink’s Whale vs Retail Delta climbed to 0.594 on October 22, up from near 0.10.
- Spot and futures Taker CVD readings on CryptoQuant remain seller-dominant.
- LINK pulled back from $14.218 resistance and is holding the $12 support.
- A break above $14.218 could open a path toward the $18 zone.
Chainlink (LINK) drew fresh interest from large investors this week. A whale bought more than 80,000 LINK worth about $1.02 million, according to on-chain data shared on X.
The post showed the wallet made the purchase through CoWSwap. It also showed the wallet’s total crypto portfolio was close to $3 million, including stablecoin holdings.
The buy came during a period of wider market uncertainty. It has raised questions about whether large holders expect stronger LINK performance in the fourth quarter.
Whales Return as Sellers Hold Ground
The single purchase was not the only sign of whale activity. Chainlink’s Whale vs Retail Delta indicator climbed to 0.594 on October 22, according to CoinGlass.
That reading followed an earlier drop toward the 0.10 level. The rise shows whales are now more active relative to retail traders.
The metric has stayed mostly positive through much of 2026. Its latest increase brought whale participation closer to levels seen during past accumulation phases.
However, trading data from CryptoQuant shows sellers remain in control. The Spot Taker CVD is still seller-dominant, meaning market sell orders outweigh aggressive buying.
The Futures Taker CVD shows the same pattern. Traders using leverage have not yet built steady buying demand.
This leaves a gap between whale buying and the wider market. So far, large purchases have not reversed the selling pressure.
Chainlink’s recovery may depend on whether other market players follow the whales. For now, that shift has not appeared in the data.
LINK Holds $12 Support After Rejection
LINK’s weekly recovery from the $8 support area stalled at $14.218. The rejection pulled price back toward $12, where buyers stepped in.
Holding that level kept LINK above its recent recovery base. The $12 area is now the key support on the weekly chart.
On the weekly TradingView chart, the MACD is still leaning bullish. The MACD line sits at 0.800 above the signal line at 0.433, but the histogram has cooled to 0.367, so momentum is fading, not flipping. RSI is at 54.79, just under its 55.43 average but still above neutral.
Simple setup here: $12 is the floor, $14.218 is the ceiling. What to watch next is a clean weekly close above $14.218, which would put the $18 zone back on the table, where sellers stepped in before.
As of October 22, LINK continued to hold above $12. The Whale vs Retail Delta stood at 0.594, while both spot and futures CVD readings still favored sellers.
