Short-Term Holders Are Selling at a Loss Signaling Seller Exhaustion → Insights

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Briefing

The Short-Term Holder Spent Output Profit Ratio (STH-SOPR) has fallen below 1.0, indicating that recent market participants are selling their Bitcoin at a loss. This trend suggests the current price correction is nearing a phase of seller exhaustion , where the most sensitive investors have already capitulated. Historically, periods where short-term holders realize losses mark pivotal points in a cycle, often preceding a market structural reset and the formation of a durable price bottom. The seven-day STH-SOPR is currently at 0.9904 , confirming a net loss across all recent on-chain spending.

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Context

Many market observers are currently wondering if the recent price correction is a healthy dip or the start of a deeper, prolonged bear market. The core uncertainty is whether the selling pressure is coming from large, long-term investors or from newer, less convicted buyers. This data helps answer the question of who is selling and how much pain they are willing to endure.

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Analysis

The Short-Term Holder Spent Output Profit Ratio (STH-SOPR) measures the ratio of the price at which coins are sold to the price at which they were acquired. This metric focuses only on coins held for less than 155 days → the “short-term holders.” A value above 1.0 means the average seller is profiting; a value below 1.0 means the average seller is taking a loss. The current reading below 1.0 confirms that short-term investors are selling their coins for less than they paid for them. This pattern is crucial because it shows the market has reached a point of maximum financial stress for the most speculative group, often signaling that the weak hands are being flushed out and a market bottom is near.

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Parameters

Key Metric – STH-SOPR (7-day average) → 0.9904. This is the average profit/loss ratio for coins moved on-chain by short-term holders (held less than 155 days). A value below 1.0 confirms a net loss.
Market Condition – Circulating Supply at Loss → ~33%. The total circulating Bitcoin supply currently held at an unrealized loss.
Historical Comparison – Previous Low (August 2024) → 0.9752. The STH-SOPR during a deeper correction, showing the current pressure is significant but not yet extreme.

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Outlook

The loss-realization by short-term holders suggests the market is structurally resetting, clearing out the speculative froth. This creates the groundwork for a durable market bottom. For the trend to confirm a full capitulation and reversal, the STH-SOPR would ideally need to fall to a lower extreme, closer to the historical August 2024 low. The confirming signal to watch for next is a sharp decrease in the total volume of coins being sold at a loss, followed by the STH-SOPR rising back above 1.0.

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Verdict

The current loss-taking by short-term holders is a classic on-chain signal of market exhaustion, preparing the ground for a structural rebound.

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