Jefferies recently reported a decline in Bitcoin (BTC) mining profitability for September, despite a surge in the network's hashrate.
Specifically, daily revenue per exahash fell by 2.6% month-over-month, indicating reduced earnings for miners as competition increased, with the hashrate rising by 1.7%.
North American Bitcoin mining firms boosted their production share from 19.9% in August to 22.2% in September, thanks to improved operational efficiency in cooler temperatures. Marathon Digital led with 705 BTC mined and a hashrate of 36.9 exahashes per second (EH/s), while CleanSpark followed with 403 BTC.
Looking ahead, October may pose challenges for miners, with an anticipated 11% increase in hashrate potentially outweighing a mere 5% rise in Bitcoin prices. After April’s halving, which reduced mining rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC, annual revenue losses for the industry could exceed $10 billion.
The report suggests potential favorable policies for the mining sector regardless of the U.S. presidential election outcomes. In contrast, Bernstein posits that a Trump win could drive Bitcoin to new heights, while the market awaits clearer signals from Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has bolstered its Bitcoin holdings with a fresh purchase of 162 BTC, pushing its total stash to 3,050 BTC.
Despite Bitcoin’s price struggles, large investors have continued to accumulate, adding over 65,000 BTC in the past month.
Raoul Pal, CEO of Real Vision and a former Goldman Sachs executive, anticipates a surge in Bitcoin and other digital assets as global liquidity expands.
Mt. Gox, the once-dominant cryptocurrency exchange, recently moved 11,501 BTC, valued at around $905 million, to an unidentified wallet, sparking renewed speculation.