Bitcoin is experiencing unprecedented selling activity from long-term holders, marking a significant shift in market dynamics. According to Cointelegraph, the trend of selling by these holders began well below current price levels, distinguishing this bull market from previous ones. Over the past two years, Bitcoin long-term holders have set records with their sales, indicating a price cycle and investor transition underway.
Research from onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant highlights the ongoing sales of significantly older coins during this bull market. Unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs) involving Bitcoin that had been dormant for two years or more have surged since 2024. Contributor Kripto Mevsimi noted that 2024 and 2025 have recorded the highest annual revived supply from long-term holders in Bitcoin's history. This data rivals the distribution seen at the end of the 2017 bull market when Bitcoin reached $20,000. Unlike previous cycles, the current revival is occurring with lower market noise but involves significantly older coins.
CryptoQuant suggests that Bitcoin's long-term holders are reassessing their market exposure, a trend that began when prices surpassed $40,000. Early 2026 data does not yet indicate a full reversal of this trend, but revived long-term supply has moderated compared to the peaks of 2024–2025. Kripto Mevsimi speculates whether this represents temporary exhaustion or the start of a new accumulation phase, which will become clearer as the year progresses.
As Cointelegraph reported, the activity of long-term holders bringing dormant coins to market has become a major discussion point recently. Bitcoin's underperformance compared to other major asset classes from Q4 2025 onward has raised questions about how the coming year might differ from previous price cycles. With 2026 anticipated to be a bear market year, forecasts suggest a return to much lower levels than the current $90,000. The validity of the four-year price cycle is also debated among market participants.
Bitcoin is not only undergoing a price cycle but potentially a transition in who holds it and why. Long-term holder supply behavior is one of the clearest on-chain signals of this shift, according to CryptoQuant. This evolving dynamic in the Bitcoin market underscores the changing landscape and the potential for new patterns in investor behavior.
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