Mt. Gox Creditors Opt To HODL Bitcoin Rather Than Sell, CryptoQuant Data Shows

Amid the recent recovery from a significant price correction of over 25% that sent the Bitcoin price to a 6-month low of $53,500, the largest cryptocurrency on the market has since recovered to trade in the $66,000 to $68,000 range despite the start of Mt. Gox creditor repayments. 

Investors, buoyed by prospects of continued price appreciation, have adopted a HODL stance, opting to retain their assets rather than selling them off following the alleged hack suffered by the Bitcoin exchange in 2011.

BTC Hodlers Stand Firm

Data from market intelligence platform Arkham reveals that Mt. Gox initiated a significant movement of $2.47 billion worth of BTC to new wallets, facilitating the distribution of 5,106 BTC worth $335 million to four distinct Bitstamp addresses on Wednesday. 

Concurrently, creditors have commenced receiving their owed Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) through the US-based crypto exchange Kraken, as previously reported by NewsBTC on Thursday.

Despite initial concerns of a sell-off akin to the June events, where the German police’s wallet sold over $3 billion in BTC, impacting Bitcoin’s market performance, analytics from CryptoQuant indicate a positive shift. 

A notable increase in Bitcoin withdrawals from Kraken post-Mt. Gox reimbursements suggest that affected users opt to hold onto their coins, moving them from exchanges to cold wallets. 

On-chain data compiled by the firm shows that in the past 24 hours alone, more than 5,000 BTC worth $329 million have been withdrawn from exchanges, contributing to the current consolidation price action and stability for the Bitcoin price over the past few days.

Arkham’s data further illustrates Mt. Gox’s ongoing efforts to repay creditors, with over 50,000 BTC transferred from the exchange’s wallet out of a maximum of 142,000 BTC while retaining 90,344 BTC valued at approximately $6 billion in BTC.

Echoing the sentiment of CryptoQuant’s findings, Alex Thorn from Galaxy Digital highlights that most creditors are long-term Bitcoin proponents with a profound understanding of the technology. 

Thorn asserts that their preference to reclaim Bitcoin rather than opt for a USD payout signifies a strong inclination towards holding their assets rather than triggering a sell-off. Moreover, Thorn points out that the substantial capital gains implications of selling Bitcoin could dissuade creditors from liquidating their holdings.

Bitcoin Price Analysis

At the time of writing, the largest cryptocurrency on the market is trading at the $66,400 milestone, as it is a key support level for the Bitcoin price on its way to retesting the upper resistance walls with an eye on the all-time high of $73,700 reached on March 14th. 

Adding to the bullish sentiment surrounding BTC’s price performance over the past week, the price may find notable support levels that could prevent further declines in the event of a sell-off by some Mt. Gox creditors in the coming days at $65,000. 

Another key level for the bulls to watch is the $63,500 area, where the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) is located, which, as seen in the daily BTC/USDT chart below, has previously accompanied the price on further gains and acted as a strong support for BTC. 

Ultimately, it remains to be seen what stance creditors of the failed Mt. Gox exchange will take in the coming days and weeks as more repayments are expected to flood creditors’ wallets and what impact this may have on the price

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com