The ICP price is dropping, so you'd assume everyone is selling. Here's what most people don't realize: ICP's price can tank without anybody actually selling. People could be net buyers and the price could still fall. That's how rigged the crypto system is — and once you understand it, you stop getting tricked. None of this is financial advice.
A falling price doesn't mean people are selling
Spot buying does move price somewhat — that part is real. But exchanges hold enormous power over the tape. In theory an exchange could tank a coin like ICP without spending a dollar, simply by registering sells that didn't happen, and could push buy orders through too. If you saw how the machinery actually works, you'd never look at a price chart the same way again.
Financial engineering sets the price, not spot
Right now Bitcoin is down 15–20% on the week, which drags everything lower together because the whole market is correlated. On top of that, ICP carries a lot of artificial sell pressure, leverage, and financial engineering pushing it down. When real spot demand is light, that engineering — and, frankly, some dishonesty — is what sets the price. Would it really shock you that some exchanges making this much money aren't entirely honest?
Tanking the price is the trick
The entire point of driving a price down is to scare people into selling or "taking profits" at the bottom. Don't take the bait. Bitcoin I'd actually sell — I don't think it outperforms ICP long term; it's roughly a thousand times bigger with weak tech and is basically a meme at this point. But ICP getting hammered is exactly when I pay attention.
Why the lid is tightest on ICP
The market keeps a lid on ICP harder than any other crypto, and there's a reason: its technology makes everything else look useless. It can run a real global currency, rebuild the internet, and run AI in a verifiable, fully on-chain environment — and per Dominic's recent post, enterprises are waiting for cloud engines to launch. The harder you hold the lid on boiling water, the more pressure builds. That's why I think ICP can pump to $100 the moment the lid comes off.
I'm buying, not selling
This is the worst possible time to sell ICP — the low prices are emotional manipulation designed to make you act against your own interest. When we make record lows, that's when I buy, because buying something real while it's cheap is how you get rich. It's almost rigged in retail's favor: the price is held artificially low so everyday buyers can get in cheaper than the VCs did. I sold all my Bitcoin for ICP three years ago on my own research, and others are only figuring this out now.
Use the price for one thing only: deciding whether it's a good moment to accumulate or to take profits. I'll be clear when I'm taking profits — and I'm certainly not selling for two dollars. For the full case, watch my ICP playlist here.