Bitcoin Bulls Rally as Momentum Surges, Still Tough to Top $78K

Bitcoin continued to carve out a cautious advance, rising to four-week highs as market participants weigh a relief rally against stubborn on-chain data and shifting mining economics. After rebounding roughly 22% from a February low near $60,000, the asset hovered near the upper end of its recent range and looked toward January’s $78,700 monthly close as a potential milestone. Yet the resilience of the move is tempered by a broad ecosystem that remains hesitant: a large share of holders remain underwater, and derivatives signals point to a persistent hedging mindset even as price action softens the downside risk narrative. The juxtaposition of a hopeful price trajectory with a cautious investor psyche underscores a market at a turning point, where macro cues, energy costs, and corporate treasury strategies intersect.

Key takeaways

• 43% of circulating BTC supply is held at a loss based on the price of the last movement, highlighting significant upstream pressure from underwater holders.
• The 30-day BTC options skew shows downside hedges trading at a roughly 10% premium to equivalent calls, suggesting risk-off sentiment remains entrenched despite the rally.
• Bitcoin mining profitability faces headwinds from surging energy demands tied to AI workloads; the Hashprice index fell to about $30 per day per TH/s, a level not seen in several quarters.
• Miners are shifting toward high-performance computing (HPC) and AI-related workloads, with some firms offloading BTC holdings to fund new computing ventures.
• Strategy (EXCHANGE: MSTR) stands out as a benchmark for corporate treasury behavior, with a track record of BTC acquisitions near a cost basis around $76,000 per coin, a threshold that could influence future supply dynamics.
• Broader bear-market conditions persist, with price consolidation following a 32% drop in early February keeping upside momentum in check.

Tickers mentioned: $BTC, $MSTR, $XXI

Sentiment: Neutral

Price impact: Negative. Overhead sell pressure could persist if holders continue to exit positions as prices recover.

Trading idea (Not Financial Advice): Hold. The market is testing a critical cost basis and remains vulnerable to shifts in on-chain conviction and miner dynamics.

Market context: The current narrative connects Bitcoin’s price action to a broader set of factors—on-chain profitability, hedging activity in derivatives, and a mining sector recalibrating toward AI-focused computing. As macro risk sentiment ebbs and flows, corporate treasury strategies and mining-capital reallocation will continue to influence near-term price dynamics.

Why it matters

From a market-structure standpoint, Bitcoin’s price rally while a large portion of supply sits in the red illustrates a disconnect between headline momentum and bottom-up conviction. The 43% of the circulating supply underwater implies that any meaningful sustained advance would require a significant shift in sentiment from a broad base of stakeholders who could contribute to overhead selling if positions reverse. This is not merely a numerical concern; it signals how fragile any upside extension could be if price action relies on relatively narrow pockets of demand rather than broad participation.

On the derivatives side, the persistent demand for downside protection, as evidenced by the put-call dynamics, indicates that professional traders remain focused on risk management in an environment of muted enthusiasm for fresh long exposure. The premium on puts relative to calls, at about 10%, sits well outside typical neutral ranges and echoes a cautious posture that could cap upside catalysts even as spot prices push higher. In practical terms, price may need to clear a more definitive supply barrier before bulls feel confident enough to press higher with conviction.

Mining economics add another layer of complexity. The Hashprice index, a proxy for the daily value of hash-power, has slipped to roughly $30 per day per TH/s—down from about $39 a quarter earlier—reflecting higher energy costs and competition for AI workloads. The result is a sector undergoing readjustment toward alternative computation models, which can reduce BTC-centric mining activity in the near term and contribute to a gentler price trajectory. In tandem, several listed mining operators have redirected capital toward AI computing opportunities, offloading BTC holdings as they recalibrate strategic priorities in a market where energy and hardware costs are increasingly scrutinized.

Against this backdrop, a handful of corporate treasury strategies remain focal for investors. Strategy (EXCHANGE: MSTR) has been the poster child for Bitcoin-backed balance sheets since it began accumulating BTC in 2020, reportedly purchasing 720,737 coins to date. With an average cost basis near $76,000 per coin, the price level around this benchmark acts as a potential fulcrum: a clear move above it could tilt market dynamics toward renewed bull momentum, while a failure to sustain above it might prompt issuances or other financial engineering by the issuing entity. The ongoing calculus for Strategy is emblematic of the wider corporate-treasury landscape as other issuers—such as Twenty One Capital (XXI)—maneuver within bear-market constraints and performance pressures.

Security of supply, investor psychology, and the evolving role of AI in the energy equation also shape the broader narrative. While the market has not decisively broken above key resistance, the near-term path remains sensitive to both on-chain signals and external catalysts such as regulatory developments, macro liquidity, and the pace at which miners reallocate capital toward higher-margin compute tasks. The nuanced interplay between price and fundamentals suggests that even a modest breakthrough above critical levels may require additional confirmation from on-chain activity and the energy economics that drive mining profitability.

What to watch next

• Bitcoin price clearing above the $78,700 January close as a sustained breakout or a quick pullback tests the upper band of the current range.
• On-chain metrics shifting from a high fraction of loss-bearing supply toward more coins in profit, potentially reducing overhead selling pressure.
• Hashprice stabilization or recovery, indicating improved mining economics and potentially altering miners’ incentive to sell BTC.
• Corporate treasury activity around the $76,000 cost basis: any significant new acquisitions or shifts in Strategy’s stance could signal a change in market psychology.

Sources & verification

• Glassnode data on the share of BTC supply in profit or loss.
• Hashrate Index metrics regarding the Hashprice, and industry commentary on miner profitability trends.
• Derivatives data showing put-call dynamics and the premium of puts over calls for BTC options; reference to Laevitas.ch data.
• Strategy (MSTR) BTC acquisition history and reference to the cost basis around $76,000 per coin.
• Public filings and statements related to corporate treasury activity in Bitcoin and related coverage of buybacks or issuance considerations.

Bitcoin market signals: price rebound meets investor hesitation amid miner realignment

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has climbed to four-week highs, signaling a potential reacceleration in the absence of decisive fundamental catalysts. After a 22% ascent from the February 6 swing low near $60,000, the price trajectory remains constrained by a blend of nervous holders and hedging demand. Market participants are watching a suite of indicators that have historically presaged pullbacks or extended choppiness, including on-chain profitability and the behavior of major mining players shifting toward AI-oriented computing models. The current configuration suggests that any sustained move higher will depend on a clearer shift in the balance between supply-side pressure and demand-side resilience, with the next critical inflection point hovering around late February data releases and macro conditions.

On the demand side, the derivatives market continues to reflect a cautious stance. The put-call dynamics, a barometer for risk appetite in BTC options, show puts trading at a roughly 10% premium to calls, a level that diverges from neutral norms and underscores the market’s preference for protective positioning. This was previously observed when Bitcoin traded near $95,000, signaling that traders have historically utilized downside hedges to mitigate risk during periods of price volatility. The prevailing sentiment implies that even with spot strength, the absence of a robust upside bid keeps the broader trend vulnerable to shifts in liquidity and sentiment.

From the mining front, the AI-driven energy demand story remains a dominant theme. The Hashprice index dropped to about $30 per day per TH/s, marking a notable decline from three months prior and highlighting the difficulty miners face in maintaining profitability without expansion into AI workloads. This pressure has already spurred several listed operators to pivot away from pure BTC accumulation, reallocating capital to compute-centric ventures that promise higher returns in the near term. The energy-cost dynamic adds another layer of complexity to Bitcoin’s price narrative, reminding investors that the network’s security economics are increasingly entangled with the broader AI hardware and energy markets.

In corporate treasury circles, Strategy (EXCHANGE: MSTR) remains a touchstone for how non-traditional holders interact with Bitcoin. The company’s long-running BTC accumulation program, totaling hundreds of thousands of coins at a historical cost basis around $76,000, has anchored debates about when and how such holdings translate into longer-term value for shareholders. A break above this cost basis could unlock fresh momentum if management opts to leverage the upside through additional acquisitions or balance-sheet actions; conversely, price rejection near this level could spur further caution and potential stock-based financing considerations. Twenty One Capital (EXCHANGE: XXI) also features in the discourse as another example of non-crypto-native entities navigating bear-market realities while seeking to optimize exposure to digital assets within a broader risk framework.

The overarching market context remains one of measured optimism tempered by structural headwinds: risk appetite is subdued, liquidity continues to evolve, and energy and regulatory considerations shape the calculus for both miners and corporate holders. As Bitcoin weaves through resistance and consolidation, traders and investors will be closely watching whether on-chain profitability metrics align with price action and whether miners’ strategic shifts toward AI compute workloads translate into more stable supply dynamics over time. In this environment, the outcome hinges on a delicate balance between new demand, the velocity of existing supply being reopened into the market, and the ongoing reallocation of mining and treasury capital toward compute-intensive opportunities.

This article was originally published as Bitcoin Bulls Rally as Momentum Surges, Still Tough to Top $78K on Crypto Breaking News – your trusted source for crypto news, Bitcoin news, and blockchain updates.