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Bitcoin’s recent climb appears to have momentarily slowed following a period of consistent upward momentum. After briefly trading above $104,000 earlier in the week, the price has since retraced to around $102,004, reflecting a modest 1.2% dip in the past 24 hours.
Despite the pullback, BTC remains up nearly 20% over the past month and is currently trading 6.4% below its all-time high of $109,000 reached in January.
CryptoQuant contributor Carmelo Alemán shared insights into the activity of long-term holders (LTHs), suggesting a potential link between the recent pullback and increasing realized profits among seasoned investors.
Bitcoin SOPR and Profit-Taking Behavior Signal Distribution Trends
According to Alemán, the Bitcoin SOPR (Spent Output Profit Ratio) for LTHs has risen significantly since March 12, marking a 71.33% growth in realized profits. This trend may reflect strategic profit-taking among investors who accumulated Bitcoin at lower prices during previous consolidation phases.
Alemán’s analysis highlights how Bitcoin’s long-term holders, those who have held BTC for more than 150 days, have steadily increased their profit margins over the past two months. As of May 13, the SOPR for LTHs reached 2.27409, indicating that coins moved by these investors were sold at an average return of 227.41%.
In practical terms, an investor who bought BTC for $50,000 would have realized roughly $113,705, with $64,000 in profit. This behavior may point to a period of cautious distribution, as experienced holders seek to lock in gains ahead of potential market corrections.
Historically, such spikes in SOPR values tend to align with the later stages of market rallies, when price volatility increases and profit-taking accelerates. Alemán suggests that while the market has yet to reach its full cycle peak, LTHs may be preparing for such a scenario by adjusting their positions accordingly. This cautious profit-taking could influence near-term price movements, particularly if short-term traders follow the lead of more seasoned market participants.
Mixed Signals from LTH Behavior: Selling Slows Despite Price Nearing ATH
In contrast to Alemán’s observation, another CryptoQuant analyst, ShayanMarkets, presented a different view of LTH behavior. According to Shayan, while the Bitcoin market is experiencing some profit-taking pressure, long-term holders are not contributing significantly to the selling activity.
This view is supported by the declining SOPR metric among LTHs, which suggests that these investors are either holding or continuing to accumulate. This divergence may indicate a shift in the market’s dynamics.
Whereas prior rallies were often met with widespread distribution from early adopters, the current trend could be characterized by stronger conviction among institutional or strategic holders. If this behavior continues, Bitcoin may resume its upward momentum once short-term selling pressure subsides. Shayan wrote:
Based on this behavior, Bitcoin is likely to resume its bullish trend following this pause, potentially leading to a fresh impulsive rally and new all-time highs in the mid-term.
Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView
Meet Samuel Edyme, Nickname – HIM-buktu. A web3 content writer, journalist, and aspiring trader, Edyme is as versatile as they come. With a knack for words and a nose for trends, he has penned pieces for numerous industry player, including AMBCrypto, Blockchain.News, and Blockchain Reporter, among others.
Edyme’s foray into the crypto universe is nothing short of cinematic. His journey began not with a triumphant investment, but with a scam. Yes, a Ponzi scheme that used crypto as payment roped him in. Rather than retreating, he emerged wiser and more determined, channeling his experience into over three years of insightful market analysis.
Before becoming the voice of reason in the crypto space, Edyme was the quintessential crypto degen. He aped into anything that promised a quick buck, anything ape-able, learning the ropes the hard way. These hands-on experience through major market events—like the Terra Luna crash, the wave of bankruptcies in crypto firms, the notorious FTX collapse, and even CZ’s arrest—has honed his keen sense of market dynamics.
When he isn’t crafting engaging crypto content, you’ll find Edyme backtesting charts, studying both forex and synthetic indices. His dedication to mastering the art of trading is as relentless as his pursuit of the next big story. Away from his screens, he can be found in the gym, airpods in, working out and listening to his favorite artist, NF. Or maybe he’s catching some Z’s or scrolling through Elon Musk’s very own X platform—(oops, another screen activity, my bad…)
Well, being an introvert, Edyme thrives in the digital realm, preferring online interaction over offline encounters—(don’t judge, that’s just how he is built). His determination is quite unwavering to be honest, and he embodies the philosophy of continuous improvement, or “kaizen,” striving to be 1% better every day. His mantras, “God knows best” and “Everything is still on track,” reflect his resilient outlook and how he lives his life.
In a nutshell, Samuel Edyme was born efficient, driven by ambition, and perhaps a touch fierce. He’s neither artistic nor unrealistic, and certainly not chauvinistic. Think of him as Bruce Willis in a train wreck—unflappable. Edyme is like trading in your car for a jet—bold. He’s the guy who’d ask his boss for a pay cut just to prove a point—(uhhh…). He is like watching your kid take his first steps. Imagine Bill Gates struggling with rent—okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea, yeah. Unbelievable? Yes. Inconceivable? Perhaps.
Edyme sees himself as a fairly reasonable guy, albeit a bit stubborn. Normal to you is not to him. He is not the one to take the easy road, and why would he? Tha
