$CREAM A "whale trap" in the cryptocurrency market is a tactic used by big investors, often called "whales," who have enough money to influence market prices. Here's how it works:

1. **Big Sell-Off**: The whale starts by selling a large amount of cryptocurrency all at once. This sudden sell-off causes the price to drop quickly, making smaller investors nervous. Fearing more losses, these smaller investors start selling their own assets too.

2. **Chain Reaction**: As more and more people sell, the price drops even further. This creates a kind of panic, and the market takes a steep dive.

3. **Buying Back Cheap**: After the price has fallen a lot, the whale steps in again and starts buying up the cryptocurrency at the much lower price. This not only helps the market recover but also allows the whale to get more cryptocurrency for less money.

This strategy plays on people's emotions—fear of losing money leads them to sell in a panic, while the whale takes advantage of the situation to buy more at a cheaper price. This kind of market manipulation is more common in the unregulated and volatile world of cryptocurrencies.