The Bitcoin ecosystem has reached new heights as mining difficulty has climbed to an unprecedented 110.45 trillion. This bi-weekly adjustment ensures that blocks are mined every ten minutes, a feat that has now seen its eighth consecutive positive uptick.
This persistent increase further tightens the competitive environment for miners, compelling several, such as MARA Holdings (MARA), to diversify into high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors for sustainability. MARA is an example that reflects this shift.
They have ventured into convertible bonds to accumulate more bitcoin, alongside lending their holdings for modest yields.
Examining historical trends, this succession of positive adjustments is not without precedent. A similar event transpired in 2021, following China's mining ban, causing the hashrate to plummet by about 50%.
From July to November that year, nine successive positive adjustments occurred, correlating with bitcoin reaching a peak of approximately $69,000. The subsequent year of 2022 saw bitcoin enter a prolonged bear market.
Contrastingly, in 2018, an extended series of positive adjustments commenced at the end of 2017, with bitcoin priced around $20,000. A minor negative adjustment in July ensued as the price hovered near $6,000.
Another phase of positive adjustments preceded multiple downturns in late 2018, marking the cycle’s low at about $3,000. Despite these patterns, no definitive trend predicts market tops or bottoms with consecutive positive adjustments. Nevertheless, the resilience of the hashrate, averaging 775 EH/s over seven days, indicates robust network health.