Bitcoin Production and HIVE Shares Decline despite BTC Price Records

Vancouver-based crypto mining company HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HIVE) has announced an increase in its Bitcoin production capacity and holdings for the month of February 2024.

Although production indicators have increased on a monthly basis, the number of Bitcoins mined has decreased. In January, it was 234.6 BTC, averaging 7.6 BTC per day, while in February, it was 200 BTC, averaging 6.9 BTC per day.

HIVE Digital Expands Bitcoin Holdings, Boosts Mining Capacity

HIVE's mining operations maintained an average hashrate of 4.06 Exahash per second (EH/s) throughout February, resulting in an average production of 60.5 Bitcoin per Exahash. This performance was further bolstered by the integration of Bitmain's advanced S21 Antminers into the company's mining fleet, enhancing efficiency and reducing the cost of Bitcoin production.

As a result of its successful mining operations, HIVE's Bitcoin holdings, or "HODL" position, grew by 10% during February, reaching 2,131 BTC by the end of the month. At the current Bitcoin prices ($67,000 at the time of writing), HIVE's treasury is thus worth $143 million.

This strategic HODL approach aligns with the company's anticipation of heightened demand for Bitcoin as an alternative asset class, particularly with the recent launch of Bitcoin ETFs and the upcoming Bitcoin halving event in April.

"These advanced machines not only bolster our mining efficiency but also provide sustainable stability by significantly reducing the cost of Bitcoin production," HIVE's President and CEO, Aydin Kilic, said, highlighting the company's technological stability and commitment to sustainable growth.

As of 4 March 2024, HIVE's HODL position had increased to 2,159 Bitcoin, reflecting the company's continued commitment to expanding its Bitcoin holdings.

"Our HODL strategy is to have a healthy balance sheet similar to what we had for the last Halving event in 2020," Frank Holmes, the Executive Chairman of HIVE Digital, added.

Bitcoin Grows, but What about the Miners?

HIVE Digital is the next publicly traded miner after Argo Blockchain, which Finance Magnates reported on this week and whose February production results were worse than January's. This occurs as Bitcoin climbs to historic highs and cryptocurrency companies gain several hundred percent.

pic.twitter.com/wyXNaTQFru

However, this does not seem to apply to the mining industry, which fared very well on Wall Street in 2023 but is losing ground in 2024. HIVE has lost 25% of its value this year on the Nasdaq, while ARGO has lost about 50%.

“Despite the decrease in Bitcoin production due to maintenance on the Cottonwood substation, we expect that our realized power prices at Helios for February will be significantly lower than normal due to favorable power market conditions,” said the CEO of Argo, Thomas Chippas. “Lower power prices will have a beneficial impact on our mining profit, mining margin, and operating cash flow for the month.”