Bitcoin long-term holders at 15.26M BTC ahead of FOMC

Bitcoin long-term holder supply rose to about 15.26 million BTC after these wallets added roughly 316,000 BTC over the past 30 days. The increase reverses late-November selling when long-term holder wallets shed about 650,000 BTC in a 30-day span.

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost wrote that long-term holders are generally steadier than short-term holders and that supply held by these wallets has reached 15.26 million BTC.

Darkfost also wrote that roughly 800,000 BTC moved off Coinbase last year will cross a six-month holding threshold on May 23 and be reclassified as long-term supply, which will affect long-term holder supply metrics later in May.

Bitcoin traded near $78,047 at the time of reporting. Market data show the gap between exchange inflows and outflows has narrowed for six straight sessions, and balances held on exchanges have declined.

The Federal Open Market Committee minutes from the April 28–29 meeting will be released Wednesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. ET. The minutes are the final official policy record produced while Jerome Powell served as Fed Chair.

At that meeting the committee left the federal funds rate target range at 3.50% to 3.75% and paused for a third straight meeting. The statement recorded four dissents, the largest split among members since 1992.

Yardeni Research analysts wrote they expect the committee to show a tightening bias at the June meeting and forecast a 25-basis-point federal funds rate increase in July, while noting additional hikes this year remain possible.

Powell’s term as Fed Chair ended on May 15. Kevin Warsh was confirmed as his successor by a 54–45 Senate vote. Powell will remain on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors through January 2028.

On-chain metrics and Fed policy data both factor into investor decisions. The reclassification of Coinbase-aged coins into the long-term holder bucket will change supply concentration metrics used by analysts to assess holder behavior.