
Solana Vs Ethereum: What’s Holding Growth Back? 3 Reasons SOL Is Still Lagging
Exploring the reasons Solana is struggling against Ethereum's growth.

Bitwise Research reveals that longer holding periods for Bitcoin significantly reduce the risk of losses, contrasting with the high volatility seen in short-term investments. This insight is prompting investors to rethink their strategies amid the ongoing bear market.
Mentioned in this story
Bitwise Research has shed light on how holding durations can impact the ROI and outcomes of Bitcoin (BTC) investments, revealing a major distinction between short-term risk and long-term performance. The data shows that while short holding periods carry significant chances of loss, extended investment timeframes dramatically reduce downside risks. The findings are drawing significant attention in the crypto community as investors reassess their strategy in the ongoing bear market.
New research compiled by Bitwise and shared by crypto analyst Bitcoin Archive indicates that the probability of incurring losses on Bitcoin declines as the holding period increases, based on historical performance spanning more than a decade. The chart, sourced from Glassnode, shows that short-term exposure to BTC carries the highest level of uncertainty and the greatest likelihood of loss.
The numbers on the chart highlight just how unstable the Bitcoin price can be in the near term. If someone buys and sells within a day, their chances of losing money increase substantially. Even holding for a month does not improve things much, suggesting that short term price movements are largely unpredictable and driven by noise, speculation, and rapid sentiment shifts.

Source: Bitwise
Looking at the chart’s numbers, a one-day holding period has a 47.1% chance of loss, while a one-week period shows a similar risk of 44.7%. Even at monthly intervals, the probability of loss stays elevated, reflecting the risks faced by active traders. Bitwise shows that holding BTC for just one month results in a marginal decline to 43.2%, underscoring the .
Bitwise Research indicates that longer holding periods for Bitcoin decrease the probability of incurring losses, while short-term investments carry higher risks.
Short-term Bitcoin investments are associated with significant uncertainty and a higher likelihood of loss, whereas long-term holdings show improved performance and reduced risks.
The findings suggest that Bitcoin investors should consider longer holding periods to mitigate risks, especially during volatile market conditions.

Exploring the reasons Solana is struggling against Ethereum's growth.

Solana's price structure hints at a possible temporary recovery before a major market decision.

Bitcoin traders are coming back after an eight-month deleveraging phase, signaling renewed risk appetite.

Bitcoin Price Analysis for May 23: Bearish Sentiment Continues as Key Levels Hold

FET's exchange supply is vanishing; traders are on alert.

Is Chainlink (LINK) on track to triple in value and hit a $20B market cap in 5 years?
See every story in Crypto — including breaking news and analysis.
However, as the holding period increases, the risk begins to decline noticeably. By the time an investor holds Bitcoin for several months or up to a year, the probability of loss drops, but remains significant. The chart shows that at the quarterly level, the probability of loss decreases to 37.6%. For over a year, the likelihood of loss drops further to 24.3%, highlighting a clear contrast when holding for just a day.
Most success stories and outsized returns in the crypto market typically come from whales or investors who have held BTC for 5 to more than 10 years. The profit margins of these investors are significantly larger than those of short-term traders who move in and out of positions based on market conditions and short-term hype.
Bitwise research data confirms this trend, showing that meaningful reductions in loss probability only appear over multi-year holding periods. Investors who hold BTC for over three years see their probability of loss fall sharply to 0.7%, while holding for beyond five years reduces it further to 0.2%. Across the ten-year range covered by the data, there were no recorded instances of investors selling at a loss, indicating that all observed holding periods of that length resulted in gains.
The findings suggest that while Bitcoin remains highly unpredictable in the short term, its long-term performance has consistently and historically favored patient investors.
Bitcoin price chart from Tradingview.com
BTC price succumbs to resistance at $76,000 | Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview.com
Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com