Bitcoin halving has led to increased mining difficulty and reduced block rewards.
Hash rate has fluctuated since the halving, but recently reached a new all-time high.
Market volatility and miner behavior have impacted Bitcoin prices.
Bitcoin (BTC) miners are crucial for securing the network and creating new coins. Following the fourth Bitcoin halving earlier this year, miners have had to adjust their operations due to rising difficulty. The Bitcoin block reward decreased from 6.25 coins to 3.125 coins every ten minutes, making it tougher for existing mining rigs to stay profitable.
Hash Rate Drops and Recovery
After the April halving, Bitcoin’s hash rate fell sharply, from over 643 EH/s to about 561 EH/s by June. This decline was mainly because miners turned off their old rigs in preparation for new, more efficient hardware.
Since then, the hash rate has recovered, hitting a new all-time high of around 698 EH/s earlier this month. However, it has recently stabilized at about 573 EH/s, as mining difficulty reached a new peak of 92.67 T on Tuesday, September 11.
An Uncertain Market
Even with the possibility of U.S. interest rate cuts next week, Bitcoin’s price might still fall. Some experts think that the upcoming economic changes could lead to a “sell-the-news” reaction, causing further market sell-offs.
On-chain data shows that both short-term Bitcoin holders and miners have been selling recently. Santiment reports that miners alone have sold over 30,000 BTC, worth more than $1.7 billion, in the past three days.
Despite this, large investors, or whales, especially those involved with U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, have been buying up the excess Bitcoin. This buying activity from whales could help stabilize the market amid the current volatility.
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Despite the challenges, the Bitcoin mining industry remains resilient. With innovation and adaptation, miners may emerge stronger than ever, securing the network and driving the future of cryptocurrency.