Bitcoin difficulty just retreated, but a more critical “survival metric” signals the mining sector is bleeding out

Bitcoin’s first difficulty adjustment of 2026 was anything but dramatic. The network nudged the dial down to about 146.4 trillion, a pretty small retreat after the late-2025 grind higher. But small isn't the same as meaningless in mining, a business where margins are measured in fractions of a fraction and the main input (electricity) can The post Bitcoin difficulty just retreated, but a more critical “survival metric” signals the mining sector is bleeding out appeared first on CryptoSlate.