Bitcoin Miners Sold 32,000 BTC in Q1 as JPMorgan Flags Growing Profit Pressure
Bitcoin miners are under growing strain in 2026 as the market price of the asset remains well below the estimated cost of producing it, according to JPMorgan.
JPMorgan analysts said bitcoin has traded below its estimated production cost for five consecutive months. JPMorgan currently places that cost at about $78,000 per coin, while Bitcoin is trading near $63,000.
That gap has left about 20% of miners unprofitable, the bank said, citing Coinshares’ first-quarter mining report. The pressure is already showing up on balance sheets. Publicly listed mining companies sold more than 32,000 BTC in the first quarter alone to cover operating expenses, JPMorgan said, citing data from TheEnergymag.
That figure exceeds the total amount those companies sold during all of 2025.
Mining Difficulty Is Reacting Faster to Price Swings
JPMorgan said Bitcoin’s hashrate and mining difficulty have become more sensitive to price movements this year. Hashrate measures the total computing power securing the network, while mining difficulty adjusts to keep block production steady as miners enter or leave the market.
Over the past six months, the beta of mining difficulty to bitcoin prices has risen to 0.62. The analysts said this suggests more miners are operating close to breakeven and are quicker to turn machines on or off as prices shift.
The pattern was visible in the second week of June, when bitcoin mining difficulty fell 10%. It was the second drop of that size this year, following a similar decline in January.
When bitcoin trades below production cost, higher-cost miners tend to power down equipment. That reduces the hashrate and eventually leads the network to adjust difficulty lower. The mechanism helps stabilize mining economics, but it also highlights how thin margins have become for weaker operators.
Volatility Expected to Persist
JPMorgan expects mining difficulty and hashrate to remain volatile as long as bitcoin stays materially below its production cost. The bank said investors should expect larger and more frequent mining difficulty adjustments while miners continue responding to price pressure.
The outlook adds another challenge for a sector already dealing with rising energy costs, post-halving revenue pressure, and increasing competition from larger mining firms with stronger balance sheets.
For now, the message is clear. Bitcoin’s price is testing the economics of the mining industry, and the pressure is falling hardest on operators without cheap power, efficient machines, or enough capital to ride out the downturn.
