VanEck released a mid-February 2026 Bitcoin analysis report, highlighting significant market sentiment shifts and leverage adjustments. According to PANews, the report indicates that despite these fluctuations, Bitcoin's on-chain activity remains resilient, with a slowdown in mid-cycle distribution and tightening miner supply suggesting stronger fundamentals than current prices reflect.
Bitcoin has experienced a 29% decline over the past 30 days, leading to deteriorating market sentiment. This downturn has pushed the Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) into the anxiety zone, with moments of panic, while leverage reset has brought open interest levels back to those seen in September 2024.
Mid-term holders are driving distribution, although sales have slowed. Actual sales are still concentrated among those holding for 1 to 5 years, with a noticeable slowdown in the distribution of tokens held for over a year in the past month.
Miner profit margins have narrowed, and hash rate has contracted by approximately 14% over the last 90 days, indicating a tightening mining economy. Historically, such conditions have been precursors to stronger future Bitcoin returns.