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Bitcoin Realized Price Signals Fragile Market Structure as 92% of Short-Term Holders Sit at a Loss

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Brian Armstrong's Bold Prediction: AI Agents Will Soon Dominate Global Financial

TLDR:

  • Around 92% of short-term holders are currently at a loss, holding approximately 5.7 million BTC below cost basis.
  • Strategy’s realized price of $75,600 across 762,000 BTC aligns directly with where Bitcoin’s recent rally was rejected.
  • Bitcoin’s network-wide realized price sits near $54,000, a level historically revisited or traded below in bear markets.
  • CryptoQuant data show overlapping cost-basis levels above the spot price, creating significant resistance to any Bitcoin recovery attempt.

Bitcoin realized price metrics are drawing close attention from market analysts worldwide. On-chain data shows the price is currently interacting with multiple critical cost basis levels.

Bitcoin is trading around $70,000, with key resistance visible both above and below the current spot price. CryptoQuant recently published an analysis covering short-term holders, a major institutional buyer, and broader network cost averages.

Together, these overlapping thresholds are shaping what analysts describe as a fragile market structure.

Short-Term Holders Sit in Loss as Sell Pressure Mounts

Short-term holders are currently carrying heavy unrealized losses at today’s Bitcoin price. CryptoQuant data shows this cohort holds approximately 5.7 million BTC in total.

Of that amount, only around 8% are currently sitting in profit. The remaining 92% are at a loss at current price levels.

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This distribution creates what analysts call a large supply overhang in the market. When most holders are underwater, price rallies often invite immediate selling activity.

Recent buyers tend to use bounces as opportunities to recover their cost basis. That behavior consistently limits how far short-term recoveries can extend.

The short-term holder’s realized price is currently positioned above Bitcoin’s spot price near $70,000. CryptoQuant stated that “recent buyers are underwater, creating sell pressure on every bounce.”

That cost basis level is now acting as overhead resistance on the chart. Price must reclaim it clearly before sentiment can meaningfully shift for this group.

Until short-term holders move back into profit territory, recovery attempts will likely face continued resistance. The volume of BTC held at a loss adds weight to every rally attempt made. Analysts are monitoring the profit-to-loss ratio closely for any early signs of a broader market shift.

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Strategy’s Cost Basis and the Network Realized Price Frame the Trading Range

Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings are also playing a visible role in shaping current market resistance. The firm holds approximately 762,000 BTC with an average cost basis of around $75,600.

CryptoQuant noted that this level aligns directly with where the recent rally faced rejection. That overlap is drawing attention from on-chain analysts tracking large institutional cost basis data.

Large holders with unrealized losses near a price zone can create meaningful resistance for the market. When price approaches their average cost basis, those holders tend to manage risk through selling.

This dynamic appears to have played out during the recent failed push beyond $75,000. CryptoQuant’s data supports this reading of the market’s rejection at that level.

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The broader Bitcoin realized price, representing the average cost basis across all holders, currently sits near $54,000.

Historically, during bear markets, price tends to revisit or trade below this level for extended periods. This makes the $54,000 zone a key reference point for analysts monitoring potential downside risk.

Taken together, these three levels frame the current environment for Bitcoin market participants. Resistance from the short-term holder’s cost basis and Strategy’s realized price sits above spot.

The network-wide average near $54,000 remains a potential downside target if conditions deteriorate further. Traders are watching all three levels closely as price action continues to develop.

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Crypto World

Bitcoin hits three-week low as $14B options expiry shakes bulls

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46% of Bitcoin supply now in loss, near 2022 bear levels

Bitcoin (BTC) extended its decline on Friday as traders reacted to the year’s largest options expiry and continued caution in crypto ETF flows. 

Summary

  • Bitcoin fell below $66,000 after $14 billion in options expired and ETF outflows persisted Friday.
  • Whale and retail wallets added Bitcoin in March even as price dropped and sentiment weakened.
  • Analyst XO said a drop toward $55,000 to $60,000 could set up longs in April.

Consequently, the drop pushed the asset to its lowest level in more than three weeks, even as some market signals pointed to rising accumulation and possible oversold conditions.

Bitcoin fell to as low as $65,500 on Friday, its weakest level since March 2. At the time of writing, BTC traded near $66,300, down 2% over 24 hours and 6% over the past week (per CoinGecko’s data).

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Meanwhile, the move came as roughly $14 billion in Bitcoin options expired, based on open interest. That expiry added pressure to an already cautious market and pushed traders toward a more defensive stance during the session.

ETF activity also remained in focus as investors continued pulling funds from spot Bitcoin products. Data showed that investors withdrew $171 million from spot ETFs on Thursday, adding to short-term pressure on price action.

Still, the broader monthly picture looked more balanced. March recorded about $1.4 billion in net inflows into Bitcoin ETFs after four straight months of net outflows, showing that demand had not fully disappeared despite the latest setback.

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While price remained under pressure, on-chain data pointed to continued buying from large holders and smaller wallets. According to Santiment, wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC added 61,568 BTC over the past month, a 0.45% increase.

Smaller holders also showed similar behavior. Wallets with less than 0.01 BTC increased their balances by 0.42% over the same period, nearly matching the pace seen among whales and sharks.

Analysts watch for oversold bounce

Market watchers also pointed to oversold signals as Bitcoin traded well below its October 2025 all-time high above $126,000. Current pricing left BTC down 47.42% from that peak, while its market capitalization stood near $1.33 trillion.

Crypto analyst XO said March could mark only the second time Bitcoin posts six straight losing months if the month closes in the red. He wrote, 

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“If April sees an early sweep into the $55–60K range, it could create a compelling setup for mean-reversion longs.” 

He also said that the higher timeframe trend would stay in control unless a clear structural shift appears.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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Crypto World

Senator Warren is Probing Bitmain over US Security Risks: Report

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Senator Warren is Probing Bitmain over US Security Risks: Report

Senator Elizabeth Warren has reportedly asked the US Commerce Department to explain how it is handling potential national security risks tied to Chinese crypto mining giant Bitmain, following previous reports that the firm has been under federal scrutiny.

In a letter sent Thursday to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Warren requested documents and communications related to Bitmain, which manufactures a large share of the world’s Bitcoin mining equipment, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

In November last year, it was reported that US authorities had launched an investigation into Bitmain over potential national security risks. The probe, known as “Operation Red Sunset” and led by the US Department of Homeland Security, aimed to examine whether Bitmain’s ASIC machines could be remotely accessed for espionage or used to disrupt the US power grid.

According to Bloomberg, the probe remains unresolved, and its current status is unclear. National security investigations of this type can run for years without public disclosure or legal action.

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Related: MARA sells $1.1B in Bitcoin to buy back debt at 9% discount

US scrutiny of Bitmain deepens

The scrutiny follows earlier actions, including halted shipments of Bitmain devices and a separate investigation into a related Chinese chip firm over alleged links to sanctioned Huawei.

In 2024, a federal review also flagged the use of its machines near a US military base as raising “significant national security concerns.”

Mining hardware market share is divided between three large manufacturers. Source: University of Cambridge

In July last year, Bloomberg also reported that Bitmain is preparing to open its first US-based ASIC manufacturing facility, with chip production expected to begin in early 2026 and scale by year-end.

Cointelegraph reached out to Warren and Bitmain for comment, but had not received a response by publication.

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Related: Bitcoin mining difficulty falls 7.7% as miner pressure persists

Trump-backed American Bitcoin buys Bitmain mining rigs

Bitmain’s machines are widely used in Bitcoin mining operations, including by American Bitcoin Corp., which counts Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. among its investors. The firm agreed last year to acquire 16,000 Bitmain rigs in a $314 million deal.

Warren’s letter also seeks details on any communications between Bitmain, the Trump family and Commerce officials, and asks what steps the department has taken to shield national security decisions from political influence.

Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author

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