Is The Bull Run Nearing its End? Marathon CEO Asserts Bitcoin ‘Halving’ Rally Already Priced In

In anticipation of the upcoming Bitcoin Halving event, which is expected to occur later this month, Marathon Digital CEO Fred Thiel believes that the price impact may already be factored into the market to a certain extent. 

Thiel shared his insights in a recent interview with Bloomberg, in which he discussed the potential catalysts for further price increases and their implications for the mining industry.

The “halving” event, a software code update that occurs approximately every four years, is often regarded as a key driver of Bitcoin’s price appreciation. The update will reduce the block reward for miners by half, meaning they will receive fewer Bitcoins as a reward for validating transactions on the blockchain. 

However, Thiel noted that the impact of The Halving may not be as significant this time, as the recent approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has already attracted substantial capital to the market. Thiel explained: 

The ETF approval, which has been a huge success, has attracted capital into the market and essentially brought forward what could have been the price appreciation we typically would have seen three to six months post-halving. So I think we are seeing part of that now already and that has put forward some of the demand.

While the halving event is expected to reduce the daily supply of new Bitcoins by approximately 450, Thiel believes the price impact may be relatively modest. 

However, the Marathon CEO expressed excitement about the positive price trend leading up to the halving, stating: 

As miners, we are very excited to go into a halving, where for once prices have not declined prior to the halving rather prices have gone up so everybody is obviously maximizing to that.

Thiel’s observations come amidst the noteworthy inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, which have amassed nearly $12 billion in just three months of trading in the United States. 

While these inflows may have contributed to the current price appreciation, historical data reveals that Bitcoin still possesses considerable growth potential leading up to The Halving.

To gain a comprehensive understanding, it is crucial to examine the recent surge in Bitcoin’s value, which has soared by nearly 370% from its bear market low of $15,400 to an all-time high (ATH) of $73,700 on March 14, 2024. 

In conjunction with this surge, past halving events provide valuable insights into Bitcoin’s price movements and the likelihood of surpassing the significant milestone of $100,000.

During the first halving in November 2012, Bitcoin’s price experienced a remarkable surge from a low of $13 to a peak of $1,152 the following year, illustrating an impressive increase of 8,753%. 

Similarly, the second halving event in July 2016 witnessed Bitcoin’s price ascending from $664 to a new ATH of $17,760, reflecting a surge of 2,580% after the halving. 

The most recent Halving event in May 2020 saw Bitcoin’s price reach a significant milestone of $67,000, surging from a low of $9,730, which accounted for a substantial increase of 593% following the halving.

In perspective, while the potential scenario outlined by Thiel suggests that The Halving may be partially priced in due to the influence of ETF inflows, historical patterns suggest that Bitcoin still has plenty of room to run before the event. 

Several market pundits have also set their price targets for this bull run at the coveted $100,000 level in light of the upcoming halving event.

However, it remains to be seen how the price of Bitcoin will react, taking into account factors such as the influx of capital through ETFs, historical data, and potential market dynamics.

Currently, BTC is trading at $68,400, down 0.4% from yesterday’s price. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com