Who Flipped The Switch? Bitcoin STHs Accumulate While LTHs Take Profit

Opeyemi Sule

6 hours ago

3 mins read

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Over the last month, Bitcoin ranged within the $100,000 — $110,000 price region until its recent breakout to reach a new all-time high. On-chain data show that a shift in BTC holder behavior may have played a significant role in the flagship cryptocurrency’s recent price action.

LTHs Begin Distributing, But STHs Accumulate

In a July 12 post on the X platform, on-chain analyst Boris explained how a shift in Bitcoin holder activity has affected the market over the past months. This explanation was based on indicators measuring the Accumulation Vs Distribution of Long-Term Holders (LTH) and Short-Term Holders (STH).

For these two holder categories, the metric tracks and analyzes wallet behavior to determine whether they are increasing or decreasing their Bitcoin holdings over time.

For the long-term holders, the chart above shows how accumulation grew from the later days of May to the end of June. This is represented by the growing green graphs over the red.

Within the same timeframe, the chart below shows short-term holders were represented more by the red graphs than the green, indicating more distribution than accumulation in the past month.

Boris credited the LTHs for Bitcoin’s survival above the $100,000 support zone. “Despite heavy STH distribution and retail selling pressure, BTC defended the 100K support — a clear sign of structural accumulation led by LTH wallets,” the on-chain analyst said.

According to Boris, the short-term holders were observed to have sold more than 563,000 BTC as Bitcoin continued to range. As this happened, the Long-Term holders steadily accumulated Bitcoin, and this absorbed most of the selling pressure from STHs.

However, this dynamic seems to have reversed very recently. The online pundit reported that the Long-Term Holders started distributing their Bitcoin holdings. This sell-off from the LTHs may be a result of profit-taking, as the cryptocurrency’s upward drift would necessitate.

On the other hand, the short-term holders have started to accumulate Bitcoin. This trend seen with this reactive group of investors indicates renewed retail interest or speculative entry amidst the current bullish rally.

Boris further inferred that this handover from LTH support to STH support must have fuelled Bitcoin’s latest breakout, as short-term momentum is injected into the market.

What’s Next For Bitcoin?

While this rotation of supply between holder classes may not be strange in crypto market cycles, the scale and timing of this switch suggest that Bitcoin’s price action holds more interesting rallies in the near future. However, if the short-term buying pressure should taper, the absence of long-term support may cause a lower support to be retested. As of this writing, Bitcoin is valued at $117,300, reflecting no significant movement in the past 24 hours.

Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

Opeyemi Sule

Opeyemi is a proficient writer and enthusiast in the exciting and unique cryptocurrency realm. While the digital asset industry was not his first choice, he has remained absolutely drawn since making a foray into the space over two years. Now, Opeyemi takes pride in creating unique pieces unraveling the complexities of blockchain technology and sharing insights on the latest trends in the world of cryptocurrencies.

Opeyemi savors his attraction to the crypto market, which explains why he spends the better parts of his day looking through different price charts. “Looking” is a rather simple way to describe analyzing and interpreting various price patterns and chart formations. However, it appears that is not Opeyemi’s favorite part - in fact, far from it.

Being able to connect what happens on a price chart to on-chain movements and blockchain activities is what keeps Opeyemi ticking. “This emphasizes the intricacies of blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency market,” he would say. Most importantly, Opeyemi thinks of any market insights as the gospel, while recognizing that he is only a messenger.

When he is not clicking away at his keyboard, Opeyemi is most definitely listening to music, playing games, reading a book, or scrolling through X. He likes to think he is not loyal to a particular genre of music, which can be true on many days. However, the fast-rising Afrobeats genre is a staple in Opeyemi’s Spotify Daily Mix.

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Rowling are the greatest of all time when it comes to putting pen to paper. Opeyemi believes his reading of the Harry Potter series twice is proof of that.

Indeed, Opeyemi enjoys spending most of his time within the four walls of his home. However, he also sometimes finds solace in the company of his friends at a bar, a restaurant, or even on a stroll. In essence, Opeyemi’s ambivert (haha! been searching for an opportunity to use the word to describe myself) nature makes him a social chameleon who is able to quickly adapt to different settings.

Opeyemi recognizes the need to constantly develop oneself in order to stay afloat in a competitive and ever-evolving market like crypto. For this reason, he is always in learning mode, ready to pick up the slightest lesson from every situation. Opeyemi is efficient and likes to deliver all that is required of him in time - he believes that “whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Hence, you will always find him striving to be better.

Ultimately, Opeyemi is a good writer and an even better person who is trying to shed light on an exciting world phenomenon - cryptocurrency. He goes to bed every day with a smile of satisfaction on his face, knowing that he has done his bit of the holy assignment - spreading the crypto gospel to the rest of the world.

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