Whales Shift Focus as SHIB Gains Institutional Edge Over PEPE

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has demonstrated stronger recent performance compared to Pepe (PEPE), with technical and on-chain data highlighting SHIB’s accumulation by large holders, or whales, as a key factor in its resilience. Over the past week, SHIB limited its losses to just 0.3%, while PEPE lost nearly 3.7% of its value [2]. SHIB’s price has been consolidating in an ascending triangle pattern since late June, with recent activity suggesting it may be on the verge of a breakout from this formation [2]. Whale accumulation, observed through on-chain metrics, has been particularly active in both spot and derivative markets, a dynamic not seen in PEPE’s whale activity, which remains neutral [2].

Technical indicators for SHIB also present a potentially bullish scenario. Santiment data shows SHIB’s active addresses have dropped more than 50% since peaking at 7,800 in May, falling to an average of 3,000 as of now. Despite this, the number of SHIB holders has increased, reaching 1.53 million over the past three months, suggesting continued institutional or long-term support [4]. Additionally, SHIB’s futures open interest has declined from over $500 million to $176 million, a sign of weakening demand. However, a crypto analyst, Javon Marks, noted a bullish divergence in the SHIB price through the MACD Histogram, signaling the potential for a 163% rally to $0.00003 and possibly a 570% increase to $0.000081 [4].

In contrast, PEPE’s price movements have been more sluggish. The token has also been consolidating in an ascending triangle pattern but with weaker momentum than SHIB. PEPE recently bounced off the $0.000009140-demand zone but failed to maintain the same upward force. The 90-day volume delta data shows that retail buyers have maintained dominance in the PEPE market, yet large whale activity remains absent [2]. PEPE closed August lower than it began, but September trading has brought cautious optimism as traders watch for a potential rebound from the critical $0.0000096 support level [3]. If buyers defend this level, PEPE could retest $0.000011 and eventually aim for $0.000012, according to Fibonacci retracement analysis [3].

The broader memecoin market has shown little movement compared to other altcoin sectors, with both SHIB and PEPE struggling to gain traction. However, SHIB’s performance has been relatively better, with whale accumulation and technical patterns suggesting it has the stronger foundation for a potential breakout [2]. PEPE’s future remains more uncertain, with its price recovery largely dependent on retail-driven momentum rather than institutional support. On-chain data for SHIB reveals further challenges, including a decline in network growth and negative funding rates, both of which indicate pessimism among traders [4]. Meanwhile, SHIB’s layer-2 solution, Shibarium, has underperformed, with less than $2 million in total value locked, raising doubts about its utility and long-term viability [3].

In a notable development, top SHIB holders, many of whom benefited from the coin’s 2021 surge, have begun diversifying their portfolios by allocating portions of their SHIB profits into new projects like Pepe Dollar (PEPD). These whales are drawn to the potential for explosive gains in low-cap projects, a dynamic that SHIB and PEPE are unlikely to replicate given their mature market caps [5]. PEPD is being positioned as a challenger with a meme-economy built on Ethereum Layer-2, featuring staking, QR-code payments, and a meme-minting hub. The presale offers an initial price of $0.006495 with a projected launch price of $0.03695, offering early investors a 570% potential upside [5]. Some SHIB whales have already invested $250,000 to $2 million into the PEPD presale, viewing it as an asymmetric bet that could generate substantial returns if adoption takes off [5].

The ongoing shift in capital from SHIB and PEPE into emerging projects like PEPD underscores the volatile nature of the memecoin sector. While SHIB’s whale activity and technical indicators suggest potential for a rally, the broader ecosystem faces structural challenges, including declining active addresses and underwhelming layer-2 developments. PEPE, while still popular among retail traders, lacks the institutional backing seen in SHIB and appears to be more reliant on social media-driven hype. As both tokens approach key resistance levels on their charts, the market will closely watch which one, if any, can break out decisively and re-establish itself as a leader in the memecoin space.

Source: [1] title1 (https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/1n7h3g4/are_you_guys_still_holding_coins_like_pepe_doge/) [2] title2 (https://ambcrypto.com/pepe-vs-shiba-inu-which-memecoin-has-the-edge-right-now/) [3] title3 (https://www.tribuneindia.com/partner-exclusives/pepe-layer-brett-and-shiba-inu-a-comparative-look-at-meme-coin-performance-in-2025/) [4] title4 (https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1088358-20250902) [5] title5 (https://coinpedia.org/press-release/top-shiba-inu-holders-allocate-shib-profits-to-new-meme-economy/)