Bitcoin Hashrate Slides 14% From October Peak as Difficulty Set for Moderate Pullback
Bitcoin’s seven-day average network hashrate has slipped to about 992 EH/s, down roughly 13.7% from the all-time high of above 1.15 ZH/s reached in October.
The pullback in computational power has prompted estimates that the next mining difficulty adjustment, due in about two days, will move lower by roughly 3.4%. If confirmed, it would mark the largest downward adjustment since mid-October.
The moderation in hashrate comes after bitcoin’s market price has fallen nearly 30% from its October peak. Despite that drawdown, network hashrate and difficulty have so far declined more gradually, prolonging pressure on mining economics by keeping competition for block rewards elevated even as revenues per unit of computing power fell.
The anticipated difficulty reduction suggests that widespread miner capitulation has yet to materialize. While the adjustment is relatively modest, it could offer some near-term relief.
Bitcoin’s hashprice — a common measure of mining revenue per petahash per second — has remained below the $40/PH/s threshold for an extended period. A lower difficulty could help push hashprice back above that level, assuming bitcoin’s price holds steady above $90,000.
Any improvement, however, would likely be incremental, as overall profitability remains closely tied to price movements and broader shifts in network participation.
