2024 Bitcoin Buyers Achieved Solid Gains as Crypto Market News Reveals Realized Price Insights

The latest crypto market news from on-chain analysis providers shows that investors who purchased Bitcoin during 2024 experienced significant unrealized gains, offering valuable lessons for understanding cost basis metrics in the digital asset space. According to Glassnode data, the realized price—which measures the average value at which all Bitcoin moved on-chain—stood at approximately $65,900 by the end of 2024, compared to the lifetime average of $41,000 since Bitcoin’s inception in 2009.

What The Realized Price Tells Us About Market Participants

The realized price metric serves as a critical tool in crypto market analysis, revealing the true cost basis of Bitcoin holders across different time periods. For 2024 buyers specifically, the average unrealized profit reached around 40% when Bitcoin closed near $93,000 at year-end. This means the typical investor who participated in Bitcoin purchases throughout that year would need to see prices drop approximately 31% to return to break-even levels.

As we entered 2025, the average cost basis for the 2024 cohort climbed to around $95,500, reflecting higher average purchase prices in recent months. This upward shift in cost basis is particularly relevant given the U.S. spot-listed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that launched in early 2025, which established a significant entry point for institutional investors tracking this average.

Using Cost Basis as A Trading and Market Analysis Tool

Monitoring realized price levels has proven to be an effective market strategy in the crypto market news landscape. Historically, when Bitcoin’s price dipped below the 2024 realized price of $65,900, it has tended to mark local price bottoms. This pattern occurred multiple times throughout the year—once in January following the ETF launches and several times mid-year—providing traders with potential support level insights.

The realized price also functions as a crucial support level during bear market conditions. In fact, Bitcoin has rarely traded sustainably below its realized price, suggesting this metric could serve as a psychological and technical floor for valuations. For the 2024 investor cohort, understanding their $95,500 average cost basis helps contextualize current market positions.

Recent Market Dynamics: Technical Rebounds and Altcoin Movement

Recent developments in the broader digital asset market reveal a sharp short squeeze that propelled Bitcoin to approximately $69,000, creating corresponding upward pressure on major altcoins including Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Cardano (ADA). Crypto-related financial instruments and equities also experienced rallies during this period.

However, crypto market news from analysis firms like LMAX Group suggests caution regarding the durability of this rebound. According to Joel Kruger’s assessment, the bounce appears driven primarily by bearish positioning unwinding and thin liquidity conditions rather than fundamental market catalysts. Joshua Lim from FalconX notes that some market participants are actively rotating capital into volatile altcoins and options positions, chasing this rally.

Key Technical Levels and Market Outlook

For Bitcoin to establish a more sustained structural uptrend, price action must decisively break through critical resistance levels around $72,000 and $78,000 on a consistent basis. Until these levels are conquered, the current rebound may be characterized as a technical correction within a broader consolidation pattern rather than the beginning of a significant uptrend.

As of February 2026, Bitcoin trades around $68,280, positioning itself between the 2024 realized price of $65,900 and the early-2025 cost basis of $95,500. This positioning underscores the importance of monitoring cost basis metrics for different investor cohorts in crypto market news coverage—a practice that could have yielded profitable trading insights throughout the previous year and continues to inform market participants’ decision-making frameworks.