Several
major publicly-traded Bitcoin (BTC) miners from Wall Street have reported
decreased production for August, highlighting ongoing challenges in the
cryptocurrency mining sector.
Wall Street Bitcoin Miners
Report Lower August Production
Argo
Blockchain (NASDAQ: ARBK) reported that it mined 38 Bitcoin in August, down
from 48 in July, due to more frequent economic curtailments and a lower hash
price. HIVE Digital Technologies (NASDAQ: HIVE) mined 112 Bitcoin, which is 4
less than the 116 Bitcoins reported the previous month.
“We remain focused on
our strategy of maintaining the lowest G&A expenses per Bitcoin mined,
maximizing cash flow return on invested capital, and achieving high revenue per
employee while minimizing share dilution,” commented Frank Holmes,
Executive Chairman of HIVE.
Meanwhile,
TeraWulf (NASDAQ: WULF) produced 184 Bitcoin at an average rate of 5.9 per day,
a decrease from the 155 reported in July. The company also noted an increase in
the energy costs for self-mined BTC to $36,346.
Marathon
Digital Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA), one of the largest publicly-traded
Bitcoin miners, saw a 3% decrease in production, mining 673 Bitcoin in
August compared to 692 in July. The company’s CEO, Fred Thiel, noted,
“Block wins during the month declined 2% from July while BTC production
decreased 3% to 673 BTC.”
Industry
experts attribute the production declines to several factors, including
increased network difficulty and higher power costs during the summer months.
The global Bitcoin mining difficulty reached an all-time high in August, making
it more challenging for miners to earn rewards.
This
corresponds with
data released earlier in the week by other publicly listed miners. CleanSpark
(NASDAQ: CLSK), which bills itself as “America’s Bitcoin Miner,” saw
its Bitcoin production drop 3.2% from 494 in July to 478 in August. Similarly,
Bitfarms (NASDAQ: BITF) experienced a more significant 7.9% decline, mining 233
Bitcoin in August compared to 253 in July.
Less Bitcoin, Less Dollars
The
cryptocurrency mining sector faced a significant downturn in August 2024,
marking its least profitable month in recent years. Miners’ earnings plummeted
to $828 million, the lowest since September 2023 and a stark 57% decline from
the peak earnings of nearly $2 billion recorded in March 2024.
Several
factors contributed to this challenging environment. The mining difficulty
reached an unprecedented 89.47 trillion in August, up from 86.87 trillion in
July. Simultaneously,…
