Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Miners are being squeezed as bitcoin’s $70,000 price fails to cover $87,000 production costs

Published

on

Miners are being squeezed as bitcoin’s $70,000 price fails to cover $87,000 production costs

Bitcoin is now approximately 20% below its estimated average production cost, increasing financial pressure across the BTC mining sector.

The average cost to mine one bitcoin is around $87,000, according to data from Checkonchain, while the spot price has fallen towards $70,000. Historically, trading below production cost has been a feature of a bear market.

The production estimate uses network difficulty as a proxy for the industry’s all-in cost structure. By linking difficulty to bitcoin’s market capitalization, the model provides an estimate of average mining costs.

In previous bear markets, including 2019 and 2022, bitcoin traded below production cost before gradually converging back toward it.

Advertisement

Hashrate, which measures the total computational power securing the bitcoin network, peaked near 1.1 zettahash (ZH/s) in October, subsequently declining by roughly 20% as less efficient miners were forced offline. More recently, hash rate has rebounded to 913 EH/s, suggesting some stabilization.

However, many miners remain unprofitable at current prices. With revenues below operating costs, miners are continuing to sell bitcoin holdings to fund day-to-day operations, cover energy expenses, and service debt. This ongoing miner capitulation highlights persistent stress in the sector.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Strategy proposes shift to semi-monthly dividends for STRC stock

Published

on

Strategy stretch shares draw retail investors seeking Bitcoin yield

Strategy Inc. has proposed a change to the dividend schedule of its STRC preferred stock. 

Summary

  • Strategy proposes STRC dividend payments move from monthly schedule to twice per month structure.
  • STRC carries variable 11.5% annualized dividend and aims to trade near $100 par value.
  • Shareholder vote scheduled June 8 will decide approval of new dividend payment structure.

The proposal suggests moving payments from a monthly cycle to a semi-monthly structure, subject to shareholder approval.

The company stated that the adjustment could “lead to reduced reinvestment lag, enhanced liquidity, market efficiency, and increased price stability.” The change is still under review and has not taken effect.

Advertisement

Structure of STRC preferred stock

STRC, known as Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock, is designed to trade near a $100 par value. It currently offers a variable dividend with an annualized rate of 11.5%.

The dividend rate adjusts on a monthly basis. Strategy uses this structure to support price movement close to par while limiting sharp changes in value.

Strategy has built a portfolio of preferred shares to support its broader bitcoin acquisition plan. These instruments sit above common stock in the capital structure and have helped the firm raise large amounts of funding.

Advertisement

Alongside STRC, the company has issued other preferred stocks including STRF, STRE, STRK, and STRD. Unlike STRC, these carry fixed dividend rates and different payout terms.

Voting Process and Market Activity

Strategy has scheduled its annual meeting for June 8, where shareholders will vote on the proposed update. If approved, the new dividend structure will begin with a record date of June 30, and the first payment is expected on July 15.

The company also reported recent activity in STRC trading. Earlier in the week, STRC saw a trading volume of $1.1 billion in a single day, which was higher than its previous peak. The firm also disclosed that its bitcoin holdings stand at 780,897 BTC after recent purchases.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

Aluminum Giant Alcoa to Sell Dormant Smelter to Bitcoin Miner NYDIG: Report

Published

on

Aluminum Giant Alcoa to Sell Dormant Smelter to Bitcoin Miner NYDIG: Report

US aluminium giant Alcoa is reportedly nearing a deal to offload its long-idle Massena East smelter in upstate New York to Bitcoin mining firm New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG).

The company is in advanced discussions and expects the transaction to close “in the middle part of this year,” CEO Bill Oplinger told Bloomberg on Friday. The site, located along the St. Lawrence River, has been inactive since 2014 after Alcoa shut it down amid rising energy costs and global competition.

Built for 24/7 heavy industrial operations, aluminum smelters come with pre-existing substations, transmission lines and high-capacity grid connections. That makes them attractive targets for Bitcoin miners and data center operators, who often spend years securing similar infrastructure approvals from scratch.

Massena East also benefits from hydropower supplied by the New York Power Authority, a key draw for energy-intensive computing firms seeking low-cost and lower-carbon power sources.

Advertisement

Related: Bitcoin mining difficulty falls, but projected to rise in next adjustment

US smelters reborn as crypto, AI data centers

The potential sale comes amid a broader trend across the US, where retired industrial sites are being repurposed for digital infrastructure. Earlier this year, Century Aluminum sold its Hawesville smelter in Kentucky to TeraWulf for $200 million, with plans to convert it into a high-performance computing and AI facility rather than traditional industrial use.

TeraWulf shares are up 80% YTD. Source: Yahoo! Finance

Meanwhile, NYDIG has been growing its footprint in Bitcoin (BTC) mining infrastructure. The firm, owned by Stone Ridge, already holds a stake in Coinmint, which operates mining hardware at the same campus under a long-term lease.

Last year, Crusoe Energy also agreed to sell its Bitcoin mining business, including its digital flare mitigation operations, to NYDIG.

Related: HIVE plans $75M raise to fund AI infrastructure push

Advertisement

Bitcoin miners pivot to AI

NYDIG’s renewed push into Bitcoin mining comes as other miners are increasingly pivoting toward AI and cloud computing as shrinking margins in mining push them to diversify revenue streams.

Earleir this year, MARA Holdings acquired a 64% stake in French infrastructure company Exaion, giving the company a foothold in AI services. Other miners, including Hive, Hut 8, TeraWulf and Iren, are also repurposing mining facilities into data centers, while some, such as CoreWeave, have fully transitioned into AI-focused infrastructure.

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