It just got harder and less profitable to mine for bitcoin
It just got harder and less profitable to mine for bitcoin. Every 2016 blocks, or about every two weeks, bitcoin resets how tough it is for miners to mine. Early Friday morning, as expected, the bitcoin code automatically made it about 7.3% more difficult to solve a block.
Historically speaking, this spike in difficulty is on the larger side, but it isn’t surprising, nor is it alarming. But it marks the first sizable increase since the Chinese mining ban took effect and serves as confirmation of a trend we already knew was underway: Some of the miners that used to be in China are finding new homes elsewhere.
And while it may not be quite as lucrative to mint bitcoin as it was before the algorithm self-corrected, miners are continuing to make way more money now than they were before China’s crypto crackdown in May. “Hashrate levels are still down 42.1% from the peak in May 2021 when the China exodus happened,” said Jason Deane, an analyst at crypto advisory firm Quantum Economics. That hashrate deficit means that those plugged into the bitcoin network right now are making bank.
Top Cryptocurrencies with Price Predictions
| # | Crypto | Prediction | Accuracy | CVIX | Price | 24h | 7d | Market Cap | 7d price change | |
| 1 |  BTC |
Bitcoin predictions | 72.4% | 61 | $41 312.94 | -1.79% | -2.97% | $782 208 393 376 |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |  ETH |
Ethereum predictions | 65.6% | 74 | $3 057.90 | -4.13% | -4.99% | $364 557 204 266 |  |
|
| 3 |  USDT |
Tether predictions | 92.8% | 1 | $1.000957 | 0.03% | 0.07% | $78 389 539 616 |  |
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| 4 |  BNB |
Binance Coin predictions | 71.6% | 61 | $454.95 | -4.03% | -0.74% | $75 119 228 033 |  |
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| 5 |  ADA |
Cardano predictions | 71.2% | 51 | $1.37 | -11.53% | 13.83% | $45 869 836 376 |  |
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| 6 |  USDC |
USD Coin predictions | 90.8% | 1 | $0.999548 | -0.04% | -0.05% | $45 742 193 035 |  |
|
| 7 |  SOL |
Solana predictions | 62.8% | 81 | $134.45 | -3.98% | -3.06% | $42 237 959 711 |  |
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| 8 |  XRP |
XRP predictions | 66.8% | 64 | $0.728701 | -3.80% | -4.17% | $34 732 162 139 |  |
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| 9 |  LUNA |
Terra predictions | 69.6% | 57 | $76.09 | -1.12% | 0.67% | $27 219 693 512 |  |
|
| 10 |  DOT |
Polkadot predictions | 72% | 51 | $23.84 | -5.97% | -7.36% | $23 544 579 275 |  |
|
| 11 |  DOGE |
Dogecoin predictions | 77.6% | 46 | $0.160728 | -5.76% | 5.59% | $21 323 857 260 |  |
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| 12 |  AVAX |
Avalanche predictions | 62.4% | 79 | $81.61 | -6.07% | -9.81% | $19 942 092 907 |  |
|
| 13 |  SHIB |
SHIBA INU predictions | 68.8% | 63 | $0.000027 | -4.93% | -3.67% | $15 025 615 032 |  |
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| 14 |  MATIC |
Polygon predictions | 69.2% | 59 | $2.02 | -8.18% | -12.60% | $14 789 690 265 |  |
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| 15 |  BUSD |
Binance USD predictions | 96% | 1 | $0.999731 | -0.10% | -0.13% | $14 211 573 940 |  |
