• Bitcoin prices have been trending higher, but big players appear hesitant to buy into the rally.
• On-chain data shows that exchange, digital asset banks, and miner BTC reserves are relatively lower.
• Bitcoin miners tend to have big reserves of BTC at any point in time, but their reserves have declined over recent months.

Bitcoin prices have been on a steady incline over the past several months, reaching a new Q1 2023 high near the $23,300 mark. This has been buoyed by strong demand from investors, who have been attracted to Bitcoin’s potential to act as a store of value in an uncertain economic climate. However, while prices have been trending higher, big players have been somewhat hesitant to buy into the current rally.

On-chain data suggests that exchange, digital asset banks, and miner Bitcoin reserves have been relatively lower compared to recent months. This could indicate that these major players are not as keen to join the current rally as they may have been in the past. It should be noted that miners tend to offload their coins when they are uncertain of the price trajectory in weeks and months ahead, potentially puncturing the current upside momentum.

Bitcoin miners are known to have large reserves of BTC at any given time, as they need to liquidate from time to time to meet operational costs. However, following the Q4 2022 drop in Bitcoin prices, coupled with a high hash rate potentially making mining success harder, their reserves have seen a decline. According to streams, BTC reserves fell from 1.847 million on January 12 to 1.836 million on January 2023.

Given this current situation, it is difficult to predict whether the current Bitcoin rally is sustainable or not. While the bullish sentiment remains strong, it is clear that major players remain somewhat hesitant to join the rally. It will be interesting to see how the market develops over the coming weeks and months, and whether the current prices can remain supported.