hodler

26 Jan 2026, 18:30

Ethereum (ETH) Targets $5,000, But This $0.04 Crypto Is Primed for an Even Stronger Rally

The journey towards Ethereum’s $5,000 milestone is a major narrative in the coming bull run. However, the biggest rallies are found in new projects. A new crypto, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) , at $0.04 steals the spotlight. MUTM shows strong pre-launch momentum that has already seen unprecedented traction, having secured more than $19.98 million from more than 18,880 supporters. Ethereum Maintains Structural Integrity in Consolidation Ethereum (ETH) is in a consolidation phase, and it continues to maintain a strong foundation in terms of price movement in relation to the primary $2,900-$2,950 price range. A strong price movement past the $3,100 resistance level will signal the start of a bigger rally with Ethereum eyeing $5,000. Presale Performance: A Way to Value Creation Mutuum Finance has managed to build incredible momentum through its multi-phase presale, which is set to reward early adopters the most. The project launched its presale in 2025 at $0.01 per token and is currently at phase 7 priced at $0.04. This means the earliest adopters are already up 300%. MUTM has seen over 18,880 investors join its presale and contribute over $19.98 million in capital. The MUTM token price will rise to $0.045 in phase 8 of the presale and $0.06 at launch. With a post-launch prediction of $1, the biggest gains will go to those who join the presale the earliest. For instance, an investor who buys $1,000 of MUTM today will see the investment become $25,000 at $1. If they delay and buy during phase 8, the same investment will grow into $21,000. If the investor waits even longer and buys at the $0.06 launch price, the same $1,000 will only yield $16,000. Dual Lending Architecture: Flexibility in Action Mutuum Finance provides dual lending through its Peer to Peer (P2P) and Peer to Contract (P2C) platforms, each serving the unique needs and preferences of its users. On the P2P platform, users can enter into customized agreements and set loan terms. If an investor lends $5,000 USDC to another user on the platform, they could, for instance, agree on a 14% APY, delivering $700 in yields at the end of year one. On the other hand, the P2C platform provides users with an opportunity to generate high returns through lending pools. If an investor deposits $4,000 USDC on the platform and earns an APY ranging from 8 to 10%, the lender is issued 4,000 mtUSDC, representing their share in the investment. Borrowers on the platform have access to capital through over-collateralization options, where an investor could use $5,000 worth of Ethereum to borrow $3,500 USDC. Mutuum’s dual-lending platform has provided users with an opportunity to achieve high returns on their investments and has reinforced its position as a high-growth contender in the DeFi market. Engaging Incentives to Fuel Growth and Loyalty To maintain this engagement and reward its users, Mutuum Finance offers an impressive list of incentives for both new users and its loyal users. To begin with, there is a giveaway of $100,000 in prizes to 10 presale buyers in the form of MUTM tokens for completing simple steps such as verification of their wallets as well as a minimum investment of $50. There is also a daily leaderboard in place to reward the day’s top token purchaser with $500 worth of MUTM token prizes. This further cements Mutuum Finance as a promising investment option for the year 2026 as well as in the years to come. While Ethereum continues to rise steadily to $5,000, an even bigger rally is underway with Mutuum Friday (MUTM). At just $0.04 with over $19.98M in funds behind it, this cheap crypto offers a complete DeFi platform that promises explosive returns. If you want to maximize your returns, MUTM is the top crypto to buy now. For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below: Website: https://mutuum.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

26 Jan 2026, 16:44

US Bitcoin miners cut output during Winter Storm Fern as network hashrate dips

Bitcoin mining output fell across major US firms during Winter Storm Fern as grid pressure prompted power curtailments.

26 Jan 2026, 16:06

Here are the winners and losers (so far) in bitcoin mining from Nvidia's $2B CoreWeave investment

Nvidia’s deepened partnership with CoreWeave raises pressure on bitcoin miners pivoting to AI infrastructure.

26 Jan 2026, 15:35

Bitcoin Hashrate Plummets: Severe Winter Storm Cripples US Mining Operations

BitcoinWorld Bitcoin Hashrate Plummets: Severe Winter Storm Cripples US Mining Operations A severe winter storm sweeping across the United States in January 2025 has triggered a significant decline in the Bitcoin hashrate, forcing major mining operations to reduce power consumption amid widespread grid disruptions. This weather event demonstrates the growing vulnerability of cryptocurrency infrastructure to extreme climate conditions, particularly for energy-intensive proof-of-work networks like Bitcoin. Bitcoin Hashrate Decline: Immediate Network Impact The Bitcoin network experienced a measurable hashrate reduction of approximately 15-25% during the peak of the winter storm, according to blockchain analytics firms. This decline directly correlates with mining operations in affected states voluntarily curtailing their electricity usage. Consequently, the network witnessed longer average block generation times, temporarily slowing transaction processing. Mining companies in Texas, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania reported the most significant operational reductions. These states collectively represent nearly 40% of the United States’ Bitcoin mining capacity. The hashrate decline represents one of the most substantial weather-related impacts on the Bitcoin network since China’s mining ban in 2021. Winter Storm Disrupts Power Grid Stability The severe winter storm created unprecedented strain on regional power grids across multiple states. Grid operators issued emergency alerts, requesting voluntary and mandatory load reductions to prevent widespread blackouts. Bitcoin mining facilities, as large, flexible energy consumers, became primary targets for these reduction requests. Many operations participate in demand response programs. These programs compensate miners for reducing consumption during grid stress. The table below illustrates the relationship between weather severity and mining response: Region Temperature Drop Estimated Mining Load Reduction Primary Grid Concern Texas (ERCOT) 25°F below average 30-40% Natural gas supply freeze Midwest (MISO) 20°F below average 20-30% Coal plant outages Northeast (PJM) 18°F below average 15-25% Transmission line icing This grid-first response highlights the evolving relationship between cryptocurrency mining and traditional energy infrastructure. Mining operations increasingly function as grid stabilizers during extreme events. Expert Analysis: Mining’s Role in Grid Resilience Energy analysts note that Bitcoin mining’s interruptible load provides unique value to grid operators. Dr. Sarah Chen, an energy economist at Stanford University, explains the dynamic. “Bitcoin mining facilities can power down within minutes, unlike industrial factories or hospitals,” Chen states. “This flexibility makes them ideal participants in demand response markets, especially during winter peaks when heating demand soars.” However, the sudden hashrate reduction reveals network concentration risks. The United States now hosts approximately 38% of global Bitcoin mining. Regional weather events can therefore create noticeable global network effects. This concentration contrasts with the decentralized ideal of cryptocurrency networks. Historical Context of Weather Impact on Cryptocurrency Mining Weather disruptions to cryptocurrency mining are not unprecedented, but their scale and frequency are increasing. In 2021, Texas summer heat waves prompted similar mining curtailments. In 2023, hydropower-dependent mining in Sichuan, China, faced reductions during drought conditions. The 2025 winter storm event, however, represents the most severe cold-weather impact on U.S. mining to date. The event underscores several critical trends: Geographic Concentration: Mining has consolidated in regions with cheap energy, often making it vulnerable to local climate patterns. Energy Interdependence: Mining profitability remains tightly coupled with energy availability and pricing volatility. Network Security: Temporary hashrate drops, while recoverable, briefly reduce the computational security of the Bitcoin network against potential 51% attacks. Network difficulty adjustments will eventually compensate for the hashrate decline. The Bitcoin protocol automatically recalibrates mining difficulty every 2,016 blocks, or approximately every two weeks. This adjustment ensures block times return to the target 10-minute average, regardless of total network hashrate. Economic and Market Implications The hashrate decline coincided with noticeable effects on mining economics and broader cryptocurrency markets. Mining profitability metrics, measured by hash price, showed temporary improvement for remaining online miners. These miners received a larger share of block rewards due to reduced competition. However, offline miners faced revenue losses and potential operational challenges, including: Fixed cost burdens without corresponding revenue Restart logistics and potential hardware issues from rapid shutdowns Contractual penalties or lost incentives from power agreements Bitcoin’s price showed minimal direct reaction to the hashrate news, suggesting mature market understanding of temporary network perturbations. Analysts emphasize that short-term hashrate volatility rarely affects long-term price trends. The network has historically demonstrated remarkable resilience to much larger disruptions. The Future of Climate-Resilient Mining Infrastructure Industry leaders are already discussing adaptations to mitigate future weather risks. Proposed solutions include greater geographic diversification of mining operations, investment in on-site backup power generation, and deployment of more energy-efficient mining hardware. Some companies are exploring “stranded” energy sources, like flare gas or remote hydropower, that are less integrated with main grids. These sources might offer greater insulation from widespread weather disruptions. The winter storm of 2025 will likely accelerate these trends, pushing the industry toward more resilient and sustainable operational models. Conclusion The severe U.S. winter storm of January 2025 provided a stark demonstration of cryptocurrency infrastructure’s vulnerability to extreme weather. The resulting Bitcoin hashrate decline highlighted the complex interdependence between mining operations, energy grids, and climate patterns. While the network’s difficulty adjustment mechanism ensures long-term stability, the event underscores the need for greater operational resilience. As Bitcoin mining continues to mature as an industry, its ability to navigate climate-related challenges will remain crucial for network security and reliability. The 2025 winter storm serves as both a stress test and a catalyst for innovation in cryptocurrency infrastructure design. FAQs Q1: What is Bitcoin hashrate and why does it matter? A1: Bitcoin hashrate measures the total computational power securing the Bitcoin network. A higher hashrate indicates greater network security against attacks. The temporary decline during the storm slightly reduced this security margin until the network adjusted. Q2: How long does it take for Bitcoin’s difficulty to adjust after a hashrate drop? A2: The Bitcoin network automatically adjusts mining difficulty every 2,016 blocks, which typically takes about two weeks. This adjustment brings block production back to the target rate of one block every ten minutes, regardless of the current hashrate. Q3: Did the winter storm affect Bitcoin transaction times or fees? A3: Yes, temporarily. Longer block times initially slowed transaction confirmations. However, the mempool (waiting area for unconfirmed transactions) did not become severely congested, and fee spikes were moderate compared to previous network stress events. Q4: Are Bitcoin miners required to reduce power usage during grid emergencies? A4: Participation varies. Many large miners voluntarily enroll in demand response programs that compensate them for reducing load. In some extreme cases, grid operators can mandate reductions to prevent blackouts, affecting all large energy consumers, including miners. Q5: Could this happen to other cryptocurrencies? A5: Proof-of-work cryptocurrencies with concentrated mining in affected regions could experience similar impacts. Proof-of-stake networks, which validate transactions through token ownership rather than computational work, are not affected by hashrate fluctuations and consume far less energy. This post Bitcoin Hashrate Plummets: Severe Winter Storm Cripples US Mining Operations first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

26 Jan 2026, 14:18

US Bitcoin Miners Slow as Winter Storm Hits Power Grids

Extreme cold led miners to curb their electricity use, briefly cutting hashrate as grid stress spread across several regions.

26 Jan 2026, 13:45

Cipher Mining: Execution Replaces Speculation In 2026

Summary Maintaining a Buy rating for Cipher Mining, driven by imminent HPC/AI lease revenues from AWS and Fluidstack starting in H2 2026. Cipher Mining projects ~$870 million in annual revenue and 76% blended EBITDA margins, with $8.5 billion in contracted HPC revenue over the contract years. At ~7.9x forward sales and 10.2x EV/EBITDA forward, based on projected sales and earnings, Cipher Mining trades at a discount to data center peers despite potential for a higher growth rate. Execution risk centers on timely site energization; delays beyond August/September 2026 could trigger sharp sell-offs. Cipher Mining ( CIFR ) has been one of the Bitcoin miners executing well these past years. I've been long CIFR for the past few years. My past coverage of the company reflects this stance, which all carried Buy ratings. In between the coverages, there have been good runs and sometimes retracements. In my last coverage, I highlighted the point that Cipher Mining’s rerating story isn't over yet . CIFR is up a lot from 2024 but currently off 2025 highs. In this piece, I'd look at what lies ahead for 2026 as a Bitcoin miner and an HPC/AI play and also touch on the HPC deals secured last year and the implication of those deals into the present thesis. Cipher Mining - From Pipeline to Paychecks in 2026 Cipher Mining is one of the HPC/AI plays expecting an operational inflection point in 2026. The market at the moment has remained muted since the HPC/AI hype late last year for the miners that secured deals. ​They all rerated in Q4 but have now since mostly retraced those gains. CIFR itself surged to a 52-week high of ~$25 on the news of the $3 billion 10-year Fluidstack lease deal last September, then followed by the $5.5 billion AWS deal, before retracing following the issuance of senior secured notes totaling $1.73 billion in mid-November. I'd like to say that the market seems exhausted in assigning a premium to miners turned HPC plays based on just announced deals, pipeline capacity, and projected cash flow discounted into today's share price. I highlighted these in an article published here on Seeking Alpha last Friday covering Hut 8 Corp. ( HUT ), another miner turned HPC play. While each of these miners has secured what looks like similar multi-billion HPC deals, nuances in the deals themselves, as well as each miner's equity composition (of which I'm currently weighing their specific exposure to Bitcoin volatility through their balance sheets) and projected net operating income [NOI] for the duration of the deal are the specific metrics I'm looking at as I analyze these companies. ​In my latest HUT article , I downgraded HUT from a Buy to a Hold, despite HUT having seen similar capacity development and deals win as the rest of the HPC pivot companies. The main reason was the longer-dated timeline for their River Bend site energization compared to peers, which was compounded by the company's exposure to Bitcoin as it holds over 13,000 BTC on the balance sheet. These present a double headwind for the company, making 2026 a potentially muted year for HUT. ​In contrast, as I analyze Cipher Mining going into 2026, I'd be maintaining a Buy for CIFR for the singular reason that the checks for the HPC lease from AWS are projected to hit the books from August this year, and 168 MW Fluidstack hosting capacity at Barber Lake expects to commence rent in September. Impressive top line numbers making the headline are a first place to watch for the next catalysts. ​I’ve talked about the sentiment of the current market, which has apparently moved beyond maintaining momentum based on just pipeline capacity or capacity under exclusivity. Those were last year's catalysts. 2026 is the execution year, when HPC pivots show actual top-line impact on financials. To project what's coming for Cipher, I'd make some assumptions. Take the Cipher's base mining revenue to be ~$55 million per quarter (I derived that using the average revenue of three quarters already reported in FY25); annualized, this gives a steady mining run rate of ~$220 million. I'm quite positive the company can now produce that amount of quarterly revenue from mining as a steady run rate until the next halving, with current hashrate at 23.5 EH/s and mining efficiency looking good at 16.8 J/Th. Now layer in the HPC contracts. Cipher has roughly $8.5 billion of contracted revenue from the AWS and Fluidstack deals. If this revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over a 13-year weighted contract life, it implies ~$650 million in annual HPC revenue (calculated as $8.5 billion for the combined deal divided by 13 years). And would put total sales from both mining and HPC to about $870 million. Note that my estimate is still a conservative one as I use a straight-line assumption for the modeling. Cipher's adjusted EBITDA margin improved greatly in 2025. It was just around 12% in Q1 2025 on $49 million revenue and $6.1 million adjusted earnings, but jumped to ~60% in Q3 on a $72.0 million revenue and ~$41 million adjusted EBITDA in Q3. I believe higher adjusted EBITDA is sustainable because it was driven by the upgrade of the mining fleets from older Bitmain T21s to S21 XP Antminers . Economies of scale are likely to stay intact in the meantime, with factors like network difficulty and Bitcoin price not moving too much. For the purpose of my modeling for projected earnings, I'd, however, factor in volatility and go with a conservative ~50% adjusted EBITDA for the mining operations moving forward, which I believe the company can sustain considering the improved 16.8 J/Th average efficiency the S21 XP Antminers have brought to the mining fleet. Valuation is bound to shift from Cipher's current life as a Bitcoin miner when the HPC checks hit in H2. In the deals, management is guiding for an 80–85% NOI margin, which I believe is very well within range, as the AWS deal is a triple N, meaning the clients take care of the biggest three costs (power, cooling, and facility costs). For this modeling, I'll be treating NOI margin as EBITDA margin, which is safe enough considering low overhead and other operational levers in the HPC lease deal which, when accounted for, won't skew our EBITDA from NOI estimate materially. Segment Annual Revenue Projection ~ Adj. EBITDA Margin Annual EBITDA Contribution Bitcoin Mining $220 Million 50.0% (Conservative floor and sustainable with current mining economics) $110.0 Million HPC/AI Hosting $650 Million 85.0% (Guided NOI margin) $552.5 Million Total Pro Forma $870 Million 76.1% (Blended) $662.5 Million At a $6.94 billion market cap at present and $870M projected 2027 sales, CIFR trades at ~7.9x sales, meaning at current market cap, CIFR is trading around 7.9x projected sales. A ~7.9x forward sales multiple for a company with 75%+ blended EBITDA margins and contracted revenue from AWS and Google can be considered modest. Traditional data center providers like Equinix ( EQIX ) and Digital Realty Trust ( DLR ) typically trade in the low mid teens to sales, but they have much slower growth rates as they are well-established firms beyond the rapid growth phase. The case for CIFR is that it is combining high-margin HPC revenue with optionality in Bitcoin upside and potential for rapid growth, which are visible through the pipeline capacity and the AWS and Fluidstack deals themselves, which have clauses that allow expansion down the line. Using the current $6.78 billion EV and our blended EBITDA projection of $662.5 million from both segments, it implies an EV/EBITDA [fwd] of 10.2x (gotten from EV divided by projected EBITDA), and the valuation gets even more attractive. At 10.2x 2027 EBITDA, CIFR is being priced as if the HPC deals are still high-risk speculations. The market is ignoring the fact that the AWS and Fluidstack contracts are legally binding and the sites are already in build-out; the market is underpricing the near certainty of the coming cash flows. As the HPC revenues start to come in, if CIFR catches up to the Sales multiple of data center provider peers (moving from 8x to 10–12x), that would imply a ~25% upside for the rerating from current stock price. If CIFR catches up to the EBITDA multiple (moving from 10.2x to 20–30x), the stock would more than double. Risks The risk I worry about most at this stage is construction and energization slippage risk. As I have noted with Hut 8 and why I downgraded to a Hold because of longer-dated energization timelines, while peers are already locked in for HPC revenue just months away. The market punishes longer-dated timelines. Any hint that the August 2026 for AWS site launch and October for Fluidstack site launch is sliding into 2027 might trigger a sharp CIFR sell-off. Takeaway The market moved with momentum on the AWS deal news in November and is now underappreciating it in January. The gap between current prices around $17 and the top last November around $25 is the execution premium that will likely return as we get closer to that first lease payment in 2H this year. We can do as much rough math as we want, but unless the HPC lease payments don’t start hitting the top line in September/October, CIFR will likely trade as a momentum stock in the latter part of this year, to be driven by the headline top-line numbers from the HPC deals.