Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a significant rally last week, surpassing the $44,000 mark. However, it encountered strong resistance at nearly $45,000 and subsequently dropped in value. An analyst at market analytics platform CryptoQuant suggests that profit-taking by a specific group of investors may have triggered the retracement.
Through an analysis of on-chain data, CryptoQuant’s analyst, Yonsei, discovered that when BTC broke through the $40,000 resistance level, both short-term holders and investors who had held their BTC for 6-18 months began to realize profits. This profit-taking behavior was reflected in the Bitcoin Binary Coin Days Destroyed (CDD) metric, which measures the weight of coins that have not been spent for an extended period. An increase in Binary CDD indicates a significant amount of BTC being spent, particularly those coins that have been stored for a long time.
Interestingly, Yonsei also observed that during BTC’s rally in early December, the Binary CDD was active, indicating recent activity by short-term holders. The majority of BTC holders were in profit during this period, as demonstrated by Bitcoin’s Spent Output Profit Ratio remaining above one for a considerable duration. This metric suggests that roughly 90% of BTC holders were making a profit.
While short-term holders took advantage of high-profit margins to sell their BTC, long-term holders who had held their assets for six months decided to offload theirs just before the cryptocurrency’s price decline from $44,000. In contrast, long-term holders remain steadfast in their positions, refusing to sell their assets and expecting further price increases.
CryptoQuant’s recent weekly report revealed that there has been selling pressure from Bitcoin miners and whales in the crypto market. When BTC reached $44,000, there was a high level of miner outflow, indicating that miners had sold more assets at an average profit margin of 40%. This selling pressure contributed to the cryptocurrency’s price decline.
Although the bear market has passed and market liquidity conditions are improving, Bitcoin’s value has been hovering around $41,000, representing a 6% decrease from its recent high of $44,180. According to data from CoinMarketCap, BTC is down 1% in the past 24 hours and was trading at $41,300 at the time of writing.
The recent Bitcoin rally and subsequent price retracement can be attributed, in part, to profit-taking by short-term holders and investors who had held their BTC for 6-18 months. The increase in Binary CDD indicated significant spending of long-held BTC coins. While short-term holders seized the opportunity to sell at high-profit margins, long-term holders remained resolute in their positions.
Furthermore, selling pressure from Bitcoin miners and whales added to the price decline. Despite improvements in market liquidity conditions, Bitcoin’s value has yet to regain its recent high. The cryptocurrency market continues to be influenced by various factors, and further analysis is needed to fully understand the market dynamics surrounding Bitcoin.
