Share this article

Bitcoin Miners With HPC Exposure Underperformed BTC for Third Straight Month: JPMorgan

Mining profitability fell in April as the network hashrate increased 6%, the report said.

May 1, 2025, 1:01 p.m.
JPMorgan building (Shutterstock)
Bitcoin miners with HPC exposure underperformed BTC for third month in row in April: JPMorgan. (Shutterstock)

What to know:

  • Bitcoin miners with HPC exposure underperformed BTC for the third consecutive month in April, according to a report from JPMorgan.
  • The bank said mining profitability dropped last month as the network hashrate increased 6%.
  • The total market capitalization of the 13 mining stocks that JPMorgan follows rose 12% in April.

Bitcoin mining companies with high-performance computing (HPC) exposure underperformed the world's largest cryptocurrency for the third month in a row in April, Wall Street bank JPMorgan said in a research report on Thursday.

Some bitcoin miners have pivoted into new business areas, such as offering HPC services to the fast growing artificial intelligence (AI) market, to reduce their dependence on crypto.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

"We note miners with HPC exposure (IREN, RIOT, WULF, HUT) underperformed BTC performance for the third consecutive month," analysts Reginald Smith and Charles Pearce wrote.

Mining profitability fell in April as the network hashrate increased.

Daily block reward revenue declined 6% from March, the bank said, while the monthly average hashrate rose around 56 exahashes per second (EH/s), or 6% month-on-month, to 872 EH/s in April.

"This was the second largest sequential increase in the monthly average network hashrate on record," the authors wrote.

The hashrate refers to the total combined computational power used to mine and process transactions on a proof-of-work blockchain, and is a proxy for competition in the industry and mining difficulty.

The total market cap of the 13 U.S.-listed mining stocks that the bank tracks increased 12% from March.

Greenidge (GREE) was a notable outperformer in April with a 46% gain.

Read more: Bitcoin Miner 1Q Results May Disappoint as Hashprice Fell, Tariffs Hit: CoinShares

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

Here’s why bitcoin’s is failing its role as a 'safe haven' versus gold

Here’s why bitcoin’s is failing its role as a 'safe haven'

Bitcoin behaves more like an "ATM" during uncertain times, with investors quickly selling it to raise cash.

What to know:

  • During recent geopolitical tensions, Bitcoin lost 6.6% of its value, while gold rose 8.6%, demonstrating bitcoin's vulnerability in times of market stress.
  • Bitcoin behaves more like an "ATM" during uncertain times, with investors quickly selling it to raise cash, contrary to its reputation as a stable digital asset.
  • Gold remains the preferred hedge for short-term risks, while bitcoin is better suited for long-term monetary and geopolitical uncertainties that unfold over years.