Bitcoin Logs Biggest Weekly Price Gain in 3 Months as Illiquid Supply Hits Record High

Investors are again HODLing for the long-term, taking liquidity out of the market.

AccessTimeIconAug 2, 2021 at 10:45 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 1:34 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Bitcoin posted its steepest weekly gain in three months last week, and blockchain data hinting at renewed supply-side weakness indicates further advances may be in the offing.

The top cryptocurrency by market cap added 12.4% in the seven days through Aug. 1, the most since the final week of April, according to Bitstamp data. It advanced 18.4% in July, snapping a three-month losing streak, and was last changing hands near $40,000.

Bitcoin's weekly and monthly charts
Bitcoin's weekly and monthly charts

Data tracked by Glassnode show bitcoin's illiquid supply, or the balance held by illiquid entities, decoupled from prices in May, signaling renewed holding sentiment. The measure reached a record high 14.447 million over the weekend.

"Amount of bitcoin held by the strongest holders has retraced the whole dump and surged to [all-time high]. This is very bullish," Lex Moskovski, chief investment officer at Moskovski Capital, tweeted.

The figures show investors are again holding for the long term, or HODLing, reducing the supply of coins available for sale in the market.

Bitcoin supply currently is 18.77 million, or 89% of the 21 million cap. However, according to Glassnode, the actual number of coins available for trading is much lower due to increased hoarding by investors and permanent loss of mined BTC over the years.

Bitcoin: Illiquid supply
Bitcoin: Illiquid supply

While bitcoin moved in tandem with illiquid supply from October 2020 to May 2021, it diverged in mid-May. As the chart shows, the link may now be reestablishing. A similar split occurred for several weeks before bitcoin began its meteoric rise from $10,000 in October 2020. If the illiquid supply continues to rise, a supply-side crisis may emerge, and last price year's surge may be repeated.

Other blockchain indicators also signal an impending supply squeeze, as tweeted by analysts Willy Woo and Will Clemente.

From a technical analysis perspective, the bull case would strengthen once bitcoin establishes a foothold above a three-month descending trendline.

Bitcoin's daily chart
Bitcoin's daily chart

The trendline hurdle is $42,464 at press time. That's also the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement of the sell-off from April's high to May's low.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.