What is bitcoin halving?
Bitcoin halving is a major event that occurs every four years on the Bitcoin network. It involves the reduction of the block reward that miners receive for adding new blocks of transactions to the blockchain. The block reward was initially set at 50 BTC when the Bitcoin network first launched, and it has been halved twice since then. The first halving occurred in November 2012, reducing the block reward to 25 BTC, and the second halving occurred in July 2016, reducing the block reward to 12.5 BTC. The most recent halving occurred on May 11th, 2020, and reduced the block reward to 6.25 BTC. This process is designed to keep the total supply of bitcoin limited and controlled, helping to preserve its value over time. It is a significant event in the Bitcoin community and is often seen as a catalyst for price movements in the cryptocurrency market.
The price of bitcoin has historically trended upwards in the months and years following previous halving events. For example, the price of bitcoin began to rise significantly in the months leading up to the first halving event in November 2012, and it continued to climb in the years following the event. Similarly, the price of bitcoin increased significantly in the months leading up to the second halving event in July 2016, and it reached an all-time high of almost $20,000 in December 2017, several months after the event.
In the above chart, we can see a similar pattern with each Bitcoin halving cycle. In the first halving cycle the price of bitcoin was trending downward until the halving event and after the halving, it started moving upward and reached the peak price of around 1100 USD and started the downtrend for the upcoming bear run till the next bitcoin halving cycle.
Similarly in the second halving cycle bitcoin started moving upward after the halving and reached the ATH price of around 20,000 USD and initiating the next downtrend cycle.
And in the latest halving cycle the price moved downward until the halving cycle and started moving upwards after the halving and reached the ATH of around 69,000 USD and initiating a new bear trend.
Currently, we are in a bear market (crypto winter until the next bitcoin half which is supposed to occur on April 2024, we can expect a clear uptrend after the bitcoin halving cycle and to reach a new ATH.
In my personal opinion, this is a great opportunity to invest in Bitcoin and increase your overall bitcoin holdings. If history repeats itself then we will see a new ATH in the next 2 years. (Based on past data bitcoin tends to hit new ATH within 1 year of the halving)
Stay tuned for more long-term crypto analysis and education content.
Thanks
Hexa