Is Wall Street Capping Bitcoin Every Morning? Bitwise Breaks Silence

A new theory has been making the rounds online: that Bitcoin is being deliberately pushed down every day at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

Some social media users have pointed fingers at Jane Street, claiming the firm used an algorithm to sell Bitcoin at the same time each morning, triggering retail liquidations, scooping up coins at lower prices, and repeating the cycle. According to the narrative, the pattern mysteriously stopped once legal scrutiny intensified, and Bitcoin has since posted one of its strongest days in months.

But Jeff Park, an advisor at Bitwise Asset Management, says there’s simply no evidence to support it.

“No One Is Capping Bitcoin”

Park pushed back on the idea that institutions are coordinating to suppress prices during U.S. morning trading hours.

Instead, he argues that many observers are misunderstanding how Bitcoin ETFs and institutional trading actually work.

At the center of the confusion is the structure of spot Bitcoin ETFs. When demand for ETF shares increases, large firms known as authorized participants step in to create new shares. But they don’t always rush out and buy spot Bitcoin immediately.

Often, they hedge exposure first using futures or derivatives. The actual spot buying may happen later. That timing gap can make price action look strange in the short term — especially during heavy trading hours.

According to Park, what some are calling manipulation may simply be ETF mechanics and arbitrage doing what they’re designed to do.

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Why 10 A.M. Isn’t That Mysterious

There’s also a bigger market reality at play.

Ten o’clock in the morning comes shortly after U.S. stock markets open at 9:30 a.m. That’s when trading volumes surge, portfolios are adjusted, and institutional desks rebalance positions. Bitcoin has shown a strong correlation with the S&P 500, so equity-driven flows can spill into crypto almost instantly.

Bitcoin trades around the clock, but liquidity conditions change throughout the day. When U.S. participation ramps up, order books can shift quickly, making routine moves look more dramatic than they are.

Narrative vs. Market Structure

The idea of a coordinated “10 a.m. dump” is easy to share and hard to prove.

Markets move in patterns. Algorithms trade at set times. Liquidity shifts when major financial centers come online. That doesn’t automatically mean there’s a coordinated effort to cap prices.

For now, the viral theory remains just that — a theory.

And according to Park, the simpler explanation is often the right one: market structure, ETF flows, and macro trading dynamics are more than enough to explain the volatility.

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