In the early hours, the crypto market saw significant volatility. After Bitcoin’s price surged, Huang Licheng acted quickly, closing out all his 40x leveraged long positions in both Bitcoin and ZEC that he had opened earlier that morning. According to Gate market data, at that time, the BTC price was $90,107.3, reflecting a 0.16% drop over the past 24 hours. Known in the community as "Big Brother Machi," this prominent trader executed a precise short-term strategy that brought his total unrealized gains to $1.53 million within a week.
Trade Analysis
On-chain monitoring shows that during this morning’s market swings, Huang Licheng followed a clear trading plan. He decisively closed all his 40x leveraged Bitcoin long positions that were opened earlier in the day. At the same time, he executed a similar move with his positions in privacy coin ZEC. Within the same timeframe, he fully exited his ZEC longs, coordinating the exit with his Bitcoin positions.
These two trades formed the core of his recent profit-taking strategy. By the time he closed out, these positions had yielded substantial returns, with his overall portfolio achieving $1.53 million in unrealized gains over the week.
Market Overview
As Big Brother Machi carried out these trades, the cryptocurrency market was experiencing notable price movements. Gate market data shows that the Bitcoin price broke through the key psychological level of $90,000. Specifically, the BTC/USDT pair on Gate was quoted at $91,668.1, up 1.73% from the previous day and still hovering near historic highs.
This market performance aligns with previous forecasts from Gate’s Chief Strategy Officer, who noted that if market conditions met expectations, major cryptocurrencies would likely see a gradual upward trend.
ZEC Performance
Within Machi’s latest trading strategy, ZEC stood out as his other major position besides Bitcoin. As a leading privacy coin, Zcash has recently shown impressive market performance. Data from the end of December 2025 indicates that ZEC surged over 80% during December, briefly approaching $555. The price then entered a technical correction, pulling back to around $520. According to Gate market data, ZEC is currently priced at $512.07, down 0.35% in the past 24 hours.
Market opinions on ZEC’s outlook remain divided. Some analysts view the $550–$600 range as a significant resistance zone, making it a favorable area for profit-taking. Others argue that $572 is a key short-term pivot; if ZEC can reclaim this level, it may retest the $739–$775 range. Notably, former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes has expressed optimism about ZEC, predicting that growing demand for privacy assets and institutional interest could eventually push ZEC to $1,000.
Portfolio Overview
After closing out his Bitcoin and ZEC positions, Machi still retains sizable holdings. Latest on-chain data shows he currently holds two major long positions. The first is his Ethereum position: a 25x leveraged long, totaling 7,100 ETH. His average entry price for these ETH holdings is $2,987, indicating continued confidence in Ethereum’s outlook. In addition, he holds a long position in HYPE, which has been increased to 25,888.88 HYPE tokens using 10x leverage. The average entry price for these HYPE tokens is $24.5.
Compared to the previously closed 40x leveraged Bitcoin and ZEC longs, these remaining positions use more moderate leverage.
Trading Tools
For investors looking to learn similar trading strategies, choosing the right platform and tools is crucial. Modern crypto exchanges offer a variety of features to help traders implement their strategies more effectively.
Take Gate, for example. Its Web3 swap feature has undergone a major upgrade, combining single-chain and cross-chain trading, and now supports a wider range of native assets, including BTC and ZEC. These infrastructure improvements make it easier to execute complex strategies. Additionally, Gate’s DEX API service aggregates liquidity from over 1,200 decentralized exchanges across 18 major blockchains, helping users find the best available prices. The API’s average response time is under 100 milliseconds, ensuring orders reach the market instantly. For those who prefer automated trading, Gate’s AI trading platform is used by more than 6,100 accounts each week, offering smart tools to assist with analysis and decision-making.
At the time of closing his positions, Huang Licheng still held 7,100 ETH in his Ethereum long, with an average entry price of $2,987. His HYPE long had grown to 25,888.88 tokens, with a cost basis of $24.5. The crypto market continues to move with volatility: Bitcoin is quoted at $91,668.1 on Gate, while ZEC is facing a crucial test at the $550–$600 resistance zone.
