- Bitcoin mining hashprice has fallen to $44.00 per petahash, approaching a five-year low despite BTC trading near $84,000.
- Miners face mounting challenges from the recent halving event, higher difficulty, lower transaction revenue, and increasing energy costs.
- Some mining operations are pivoting to alternative revenue streams like AI computing as the Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF shows a 50% year-to-date decline.
Bitcoin miners are witnessing a severe profitability squeeze as hashprice—a key revenue metric—hovers near a five-year low of $44.00 per petahash (PH/s), according to data from HashRate Index. This troubling indicator comes despite bitcoin’s current trading price of around $84,000, highlighting the growing disconnect between cryptocurrency value and mining profitability.
The hashprice metric, which measures income per unit of computing power (petahash), is only slightly above its August 2024 low when bitcoin was trading at just $49,000 during the yen carry trade unwinding. Miners are now earning substantially less despite Bitcoin’s price being approximately 71% higher than during that summer low point.
Several factors have created this perfect storm for mining operations. The Bitcoin halving earlier this year slashed block rewards by 50%, while simultaneously, mining difficulty has continued to rise as more computing power enters the network. Adding to these challenges, transaction fee revenue has decreased, and energy costs have climbed significantly across many mining regions.
Breaking Even—But Just Barely
At current levels around $44.00 PH/s, many mining operations can still reach breakeven depending on their equipment efficiency and electricity costs. However, this represents a dramatic decline from the highly profitable 2021 mining bull run when margins were significantly wider.
“It makes sense that miners are increasingly pivoting into other revenue streams, such as reallocating computing power for Artificial Intelligence,” noted HashRate Index in their analysis of the market conditions.
This difficult operating environment is starkly reflected in mining company stock performance. The Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI) has plummeted approximately 50% year-to-date, while bitcoin itself has only declined around 10% in the same period.
Future Headwinds
The horizon appears challenging for bitcoin miners as multiple concerns loom. Stagnant bitcoin prices, deteriorating overall market conditions, and potential geopolitical uncertainties such as tariffs affecting mining equipment could create further pressure on the already struggling sector.
Industry analysts point to a difficult strategic decision for mining companies: whether to maintain bitcoin production at reduced profits, explore alternative revenue streams like AI computing, or potentially scale back operations until market conditions improve.
For many miners who expanded operations during more favorable conditions, this prolonged low-hashprice environment poses existential questions about long-term sustainability if market dynamics don’t shift significantly in their favor.
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