Bitcoin Halving | What is it and what effect will it have on the BTC price?

in Project HOPE5 years ago

Today I would like to give you a view of the Bitcoin halving event. Halving is one of the main fundamentals that affect Bitcoin's price. The scarcity of bitcoins will increase again, thanks to the reduction of the reward to miners by half. I asked also for traders' views from Jakub Kraľovanský from company Trader 2.0 to share his view on the halving.

Bitcoin is awaiting a very special event in exactly one week. Halving is a predictable moment that has already been set in the source code by Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and that happened every 210 000 blocks (approx 4 years). Let's see what can happen to the price of bitcoin according to the halving.

What is halving?

But first, let's look at what halving is. Satoshi Nakamoto has programmed that bitcoins will be released into circulation gradually with each block mined so that their final amount is a maximum of 21 million.

Bitcoin transactions are grouped into blocks that follow each other to form a blockchain. Mining of one block takes about 10 minutes in the Bitcoin network, and at the beginning of mining, ie in 2009, the miner received as a reward for the mined block as much as 50 BTC. However, this amount is always halved after 210,000 mined blocks, which occurs approximately once every 4 years.

Today, miners receive 12.5 BTC as a reward for each block. On May 12, 2020, a block with the number 630,000 should be mined and each subsequent one will have a reward of only 6.25 BTC, ie half of the current reward. To that date, approximately 87% of all bitcoins have been mined.

The annual inflation rate or the number of newly mined coins is now 3.65%. After 12 May 2020, it will be halved, to about 1.8%. In the next 4 years, it will be only 0.9% and so it will continue.

Technical analysis according to Trader 2.0

I think we are in a specific period because the situation around COVID-19 was quite fundamentally affecting the crypto world. It would be interesting to see what the analysis would look like before COVID-19 or without it. However, in this article, I will prepare several scenarios and end with the current situation. So let's do it!

In the current situation, we are still in a huge triangle and so far we have not been able to break through to either side. By no means would I be talking about a bull-run now. I personally take the view that halving will only have an impact on price in the long run. I wouldn't expect any miracles in the short term, nor would I be overly bullish. Bitcoin now correlates with the classic markets, and so far we are still waiting for the moments when it would somehow significantly detach from the regular markets.

1. Extremely bearish scenario

Let's start with the worst and what no one would want to hear, and that's a new low. In the worst-case scenario, we'll go to a new low somewhere around $ 1,800. I think it is quite unlikely, but of course, we must mention it as an option.

I consider the weekly MA200 and the lower edge of the triangle as very strong support on this way down. However, this scenario could be active if COVID-19 caused extreme panic and sell-offs in traditional markets, which would thus begin to collapse. In that case, it would certainly have an impact on cryptocurrencies. However, we are talking about a scenario where almost everything from the S&P 500, through silver and other assets would go to a new minimum.

2. Classic bearish scenario

This scenario is such that we would return to the level of 5500 USD. In this case, we would test the bottom edge of the channel and weekly MA200 again and probably for the last time. In addition, these values ​​would be best to buy before the next bull-run! This is a scenario that I personally like at the moment and I would like to trade it. What I don't like, however, is that a huge amount of traders see it also, and cryptocurrencies usually react to such big expectations so that the market suddenly shocks us and something unexpected happens.

3. Bullish scenario

In that case, we would be stopped by one of the mentioned trend lines. But not for long! Even if we couldn't cross the trend lines for the first time and create new highs, we would slowly and boringly fall - as is typical with Bitcoin. And in the fall of this year, perhaps we would finally see proper growth. This possibility seems quite probable to me as well as the previous one, but the problem is again that it is registered by too many traders.

4. Bull-run

Another option is instant bull-run. In such a case, we would already overcome the trend lines in the following movements and create a higher HIGH, which we would then confirm as support and we would have an open path upwards. If we get above the trend lines and can create new HIGH, which we will stabilize as support, then we can take it as the beginning of a new bull-run.

I have mentioned four basic scenarios that we can calculate at the moment. In addition, it is possible that Bitcoin will completely fill the entire triangle until the outcome of the apex. However, I do not count on this possibility so much and in addition, we would have a year full of boredom, so nothing for traders!

Conclusion

I have no doubt that halving is a strong bullish event and that it will have an overall impact on Bitcoin. In the short term, however, it may not have an impact, so I don't have pink glasses unnecessarily and I prefer to stay on my feet. In addition, we have an unprecedented situation around COVID-19 and uncertainty in traditional markets.

Realize that Bitcoin has never experienced an economic crisis, and we can only imagine how it will react in it. Yes, Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin in response to the banking crisis in 2008, but will Bitcoin really serve as a hedge against traditional markets? Of course, we would like that, but we cannot rely on it. Moreover, nothing is ever certain in trading, we always talk only about probabilities and readiness for given scenarios, which may or may not be fulfilled.

There are too many variables in the air that can turn Bitcoin to one side or the other. However, I am very much looking forward to the whole period and I will try to get the most out of it.


Do you have any questions regarding to the halvening event? What is the most probable scenario out of the mentioned ones by your opinion?

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 5 years ago 

Dear @blockchainfo

But first, let's look at what halving is. Satoshi Nakamoto has programmed that bitcoins will be released into circulation gradually with each block mined so that their final amount is a maximum of 21 million.

Small miners will probably be closing down and within few more years mining will be done mostly by corporations. And will be more centralized than ever. Small businesses simply won't be able to compete.

Wouldn't you agree on that?

SIDE NOTE:
I wonder what are your personal expectation towards price of BTC in near future?

Many people out there seem to expect price of BTC to increase after upcoming Halving. And I'm trying to understand if those are not mostly ... just lovely wishes.

After all, we should ask ourselfs a question: how Halving would impact demand and supply?

Based on my knowledge, supply will decrease. That's the fact. so there may be less bitcoins dumped on the market by miners. Which will surely reduce selling pressure.

However, it doesn't mean that demand will increase. Am I right? So at the end of the day BTC price has higher chance to continue upward movement, but I wouldn't expect FIREWORKS.

ps.
Also I'm wondering, if halving isn't already priced-in. In the past not many people seemed to know about halving, so for many it came as a huge news. News which could bring some hype and switch on FOMO.

Currently many seem to be expecting similar market behaviours. And that's a major difference between now and past. Wouldn't you agree? Just curious what do you think.

Yours, Piotr

Small miners will probably be closing down and within few more years mining will be done mostly by corporations. And will be more centralized than ever. Small businesses simply won't be able to compete.
Wouldn't you agree on that?

I agree. They will shut down, some of them. I see BTC centralization of mining a problem. But "yet", we don't need to worry about it.

I wonder what are your personal expectation towards price of BTC in near future?

I expect the 2nd scenario to be valid. The price might drop a bit from now (in the short/mid term). Yes, less supply means higher price. The demand will not come instantly. So the price increase will be gradual.

Also I'm wondering, if halving isn't already priced-in. In the past not many people seemed to know about halving, so for many it came as a huge news. News which could bring some hype and switch on FOMO.
Currently many seem to be expecting similar market behaviours. And that's a major difference between now and past. Wouldn't you agree? Just curious what do you think.

Those events like halving are mostly priced-in, because the miners knows the exact date and they start to price-in it in months advance. If the mining costs are (before halving) around 3-4k, tomorrow it will be 6-8k, where below those prices most of the miners won't sell! This doesn't mean that the market will not move to 4-6k levels for a short period of time, it certainly might. Because of manipulation - just check the news from previous days - pure FOMO - massaging the average Joe to step in, while the "whales" are cashing out at 10k levels...but promising regular users new ATH and 20k levels almost in couple of days. Longs vs. shorts were in ratio 75/25, so the drop/dump was inevitable. I was expecting it right after the halving, but it came before. But the ratio in my mind told me "not to overreact by FOMO" and it was right.

 5 years ago 

Dear @blockchainfo

What an amazing comment. Seriously love it. I've finally managed to catch up with old comments. Thx for yours.

Have a great sunday ahead,
Yours, Piotr

Realize that Bitcoin has never experienced an economic crisis

That's true , however some economists underestimate bitcoin. The bad thing is that bitcoin marketcap is still more than 50% of crypto marketcap therefore the up and down of bitcoin will effect to all cryptocurrency price.

Yes, there will be a huge bitcoin dominance within a few years I would say. Maybe within a few more halvenings events.

Wow! It's really a great news that the halvening process can actually lead to the increase in value of Bitcoin even though the commodity may seem to be very scarce and miners won't be able to mine at a very higher rate unlike before but I think it's really the best process so far though since it's always done every four - four years.

It's also nice that some cryptos are also increasing in price due to the increasing worth of BTC but I just hope steem will be able to increase from it's initial value to a more profitable worth.

Thanks for sharing this great post with love from @hardaeborla and I hope you have a great day ahead 💕❤️💕💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️❤️

Hi, I think all the cryptos will benefit from BTC halvening, but in the next months / years, this event is fundamentally bullish, but in the long term. Short term, there could be a manipulation.

 5 years ago 

The 4 scenarios can be valid, however we can see the result after what happens has to happen, in any case I would say the next day the trend could be seen.

I would say the 2nd scenario might be "the one". But who knows in crypto...

@blockchainfo price increase will be their , as every big event their is price increase in the coin , and these time the coin will be decreased by halving.

Thanx for stopping by and for your comment. Yes, the price will go up in the long term, surely.

I hope that because there will be less chance of min BTC, its price is probably going to be more high, but I do not expect it to be outrageous, I estimate that in e best case will rise 30% and that being optimistic.

Yes, this is simple math. Miners will be selling at higher prices. No doubt with it, I agree.