Bitcoin Miner Capitulation Is Now Being Aided by the FIFA “World Cup Effect” as Bulls Set Their Sights on the 2024 Halving Event

Bitcoin (BTC) is now officially in its second-longest bear market, having just exceeded the duration of the downturn back in 2018. Even as bulls pin their hopes on the 2024 halving event and the tailwind effects that precede it, the world’s premier cryptocurrency is likely in for a lot more pain. Let’s delve deeper.

Bitcoin Bulls Are Likely to Experience Further Losses Ahead

A growing body of evidence suggests that the cyclical lows for Bitcoin lie firmly below the prevailing price.

• Bitcoin typically registers a loss of over 80 percent relative to its previous all-time high. In fact, the very short-lived downturn during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis was the only exception to this rule. At present, Bitcoin is only down 76 percent relative to its all-time high of $69,000. This suggests that further losses likely lie ahead.

https://twitter.com/BaroVirtual/status/1595083684620779522

• The Twitter account @whale_map regularly publishes Moving Profit and Loss (MPL) figures for on-chain Bitcoin transactions. Baro Virtual recently identified a very sound method of identifying a cyclical bottom for BTC. Basically, the current loss level, as dictated by the MPL tabulation, must exceed the maximum profit level of the previous bull run. So far, such losses stand at $671 million, while the maximum profit of the previous bull run stands between $1.3 billion and $1.7 billion. This suggests that Bitcoin on-chain transactions have to record further losses of “$629M to $1.029B” to firmly establish a cyclical bottom.

• Mathew Hyland regularly published updates on Bitcoin’s 3-day MACD moves. A few days back, the MACD crossed and closed in the bearish territory. The previous two crosses resulted in losses of -46 percent and -57 percent, respectively.

• As per the tabulation by Rekt Capital, Bitcoin keeps creating new resistance levels.

• Bitcoin miners are selling at the most aggressive levels in almost 7 years. While this is supportive of a bottom-formation process, further losses are likely to lie ahead in the short term.

• The World Cup Effect: Wu Blockchain recently compiled an interesting piece of evidence. As per the research by academics led by Alex Edmans, global risk markets underperform during the FIFA World Cup, which are periods that are characterized by lower-than-average market volume. Given the sizable correlation that still exists between Bitcoin and U.S. equities, this weird phenomenon also supports the thesis that further losses lie ahead for the world’s premier cryptocurrency.

“In the case of U.S. stocks, for example, the study found that the average stock market return during the World Cup was -2.58%, while the average return for all days during the same period length was +1.21%.”

Halving Event Is the Proverbial Light at the End of the Tunnel

All is not doom and gloom around Bitcoin, however. Let’s present some pieces of evidence to support that a cyclical bottom is nearby.

• Bitcoin has entered capitulation territory, as measured by Net Unrealized Profit/Loss.

• Miners are abandoning their equipment.

• The FTX saga has spurred a historic migration off exchanges. This should help curb the selling pressure on Bitcoin.

• People are HODLing

• Just 7.9 percent of institutional investors expect higher crypto prices in the next 12 months. This is indicative of a capitulatory mindset.

• Investors are shorting Bitcoin and Ethereum like crazy. This will provide the requisite fuel for a rip-roaring rally once the bottom has been formed.

https://twitter.com/veraximago/status/1594993252356489217

• But perhaps, our most important evidence lies in the tweet above. Notice that Bitcoin bottomed out in 2015 and 2018 around 6 quarters ahead of its halving event. The next halving event is scheduled for April 2024 or Q2 2024. This analog suggests that Bitcoin should bottom in Q4 2022, as we detailed in a previous post.

Do you think that the frigid nights for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are about to end soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.

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