"Unstable prices and a gradual decline in prices gets a large portion of bitcoin holders scared enough to sell off a large chunk of their assets. "

Thats what predator hodl'rs anticipate and prey on.
 
Its only the gamblers who jump back and forth between Bitcoin and fiat/altcoins who ask questions like this. "Smart" money always wants to be in fiat in the evening.  Smarter money seeks to hold hard assets especially Bitcoin, even when its a bad day in fiat terms. I've been in Bitcoin 10+ years; I puked a little when I sold a couple in 2020.  I'll never make that mistake again.