Crypto millionaire loses over $40 million with this trade 
Cryptocurrency Sep 14, 2024 Share
James Fickel is one of the world’s richest cryptocurrency investors, with an estimated millionaire crypto net worth of $400 million. The millionaire, however, has lost over $40 million in a series of decentralized finance (DeFi) leveraged trades since January 2024.
In particular, James Fickel has opened long Ethereum (ETH) positions against Bitcoin (BTC) this year, effectively shorting BTC with ETH. For that, the crypto millionaire has borrowed Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC) on Aave, trading it for Ethereum’s native token.
He borrowed 3,061 wBTC, worth $172 million, exchanging it for 56,445 ETH from January 10 to July 1. On average, the ETH/BTC exchange rate was 0.05424 wBTC per Ether, according to a Lookonchain report.
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However, since August 7, the multi-millionaire crypto investor has been partially closing this position, repaying his debt at a loss. Overall, James Fickel re-purchased 882 wBTC with $12 million in USDC and $39.9 million worth of 16,000 ETH at an average exchange rate of 0.042 ETH/BTC.
The wBTC debt on Aave is now 2,196, worth over $132 million, per the report, losing $43.7 million.
James Fickel’s millionaire crypto position on Aave. Source: Lookonchain
James Fickel’s millionaire crypto net worth
Finbold retrieved data from Arkham Intelligence on September 14 to access James Fickel’s updated crypto net worth following these trades.
As of this writing, the multi-millionaire investor holds nearly $400 million in crypto tokens, mostly made of ETH derivatives. This suggests Fickel is an active DeFi user, focusing on the Ethereum ecosystem.
James Fickel’s millionaire crypto net worth. Source: Arkham Intelligence / Finbold
Interestingly, this represents an over $46 million loss from his position since Finbold’s last report on Fickel’s trades in August.
Besides being a millionaire crypto investor with this massive position on Ethereum, James Fickel is also a longevity entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Amaranth Foundation, a longevity and neuroscience research firm that studies aging solutions.
ETH/BTC price analysis
In the meantime, the ETH/BTC pair trades at around 0.04064, ranging in what an analyst believes is support. CryptoAmsterdan highlighted a key accumulation zone in ETH against BTC, close to the pair’s lows after a huge downtrend.
“This is also what I’m looking for in this cycle. ETH | BTC is at a level of opportunity it hasn’t seen since reclaiming it in early 2019.”
– CryptoAmsterdan
ETH/BTC weekly price chart. Source: TradingView / CryptoAmsterdan
In summary, the trader believes Ethereum will soon surge in a parabolic rally against the leading cryptocurrency. Should this happen, the millionaire James Fickel would have capitulated from his crypto position at the worst possible moment.
Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk
