By: Eliza Bennet
Bitcoin Halving is a significant event that happens approximately every four years, reducing the reward for mining new blocks by half. This essentially reduces the new supply of bitcoins coming into the market. The halving is a built-in feature of Bitcoin and is a key event that affects Bitcoin's price and market dynamics.
The halving has historically led to a rise in Bitcoin's price owing to the reduced supply of new coins. This, in turn, leads to increased demand and consequently, increased value of Bitcoin. The halving also impacts Bitcoin mining, with the reduced block rewards potentially driving miners with higher operational costs out of the market, making Bitcoin mining more centralized.
As Bitcoin's halving approaches, Bitcoin Dominance, which measures the market cap of Bitcoin compared to the entire cryptocurrency market, is witnessing an increase. There is uncertainty in the market due to speculation on how the halving may affect Bitcoin's supply and value. Some analysts predict that Bitcoin and related mining stocks are set for a rally once the halving takes place and the market adjusts to the changes.
Experts, including those from Goldman Sachs, caution that unlike previous halving events, the current market dynamics including high inflation and interest rates and the growing demand for Spot Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) may more significantly influence Bitcoin's value.