Bitcoin selling intensifies as BTC reaches new all-time high

Long-term investors increased their Bitcoin sales as the price of the first cryptocurrency approached an all-time high.

Glassnode analysts note that long-term investors’ monthly sales rate has increased to 257,000 Bitcoin (BTC). Of this amount, 57% comes from Grayscale‘s GBTC. In total, sales rates for the week increased by 20%, for the month and quarter by 44% and 55%, respectively. The rally was the most powerful since the 2021 bull market.

Experts also examined the structure of capital flows to centralized platforms (CEX) and noticed that the average BTC transaction size on Coinbase had jumped to 4.3 BTC at the time of spot Bitcoin ETF approvals. For comparison, the historical range since 2019 has been 0.2 BTC to 1 BTC.

As Bitcoin rose to an all-time high (ATH), holders’ unrealized gains reached 228%. The cost of purchasing BTC for long-term investors is $20,700, while for short-term investors, it is $45,800. Analysts explained that this group historically increases spending as new ATHs are reached, with distribution accelerating until they help form a cycle top.

IntoTheBlock experts also note that during the ATH update, all Bitcoin holders were in the profit zone, and no wallets made a loss or were in the break-even zone. Bitcoin’s rise was accompanied by high whale activity. Over the past seven days, the volume of transactions on the blockchain in amounts of $100,000 or more has reached $174.2 billion.

Demand for Bitcoin and its sharp price rise are mainly due to significant capital inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January. Another growth factor is the halving, which is expected in April.