U.S. Winter Storm Disrupts Bitcoin Mining, Foundry Hash Rate Drops 60%

Source: TokenPost Original Title: US Winter Storm ‘Fung’ Causes Bitcoin($BTC) Mining Disruptions…Foundry Hashrate Drops 60% Original Link:

US Winter Storm Impact, Major Bitcoin Mining Pool Foundry Hashrate Significantly Declines

The United States is experiencing a winter storm ‘Fern’ that has caused a nearly 60% drop in the hash rate of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool. Slowing mining speeds and worsening power shortages have led to extended block generation times, directly impacting the network.

Market research firm TheMinerMag reports that since Friday, the hash rate of the US-based infrastructure mining pool Foundry USA has decreased by approximately 200 EH/s (exabytes per second), a decline of about 60%. The actual average block time has extended from the usual 10 minutes to 12 minutes. Hash rate refers to the total computational power used for mining; its decline indicates a slowdown in mining speed.

According to data from the Hashrate Index platform, Foundry currently maintains a hash rate of about 198 EH/s, accounting for approximately 23% of the global mining pool hash rate. The second-ranked competitor, AntPool, holds a market share of 16%.

The Fern storm mainly affects the southeastern and midwestern United States, causing power outages for about 1 million residents. The Weather Channel reports that electricity demand in the region has surged sharply, increasing grid load, and mining companies are proactively reducing electricity consumption.

Colombia’s Second Largest Pension Fund Announces Bitcoin Investment Product

Institutional acceptance of cryptocurrencies continues to expand in Central and South America. Colombia’s second-largest private retirement and pension fund operator AFP Protección announced plans to launch an investment fund product with Bitcoin exposure.

Juan David Correa, CEO of Protección, confirmed this in an interview with local economic media Valora Analitik. He stated, “An important factor is ‘portfolio diversification’,” and explained that “Bitcoin asset allocation opportunities will be offered to eligible clients based on risk profiles.”

In September last year, peer competitor Skandia was the first to launch a portfolio product with Bitcoin exposure, making Protección the second case in the industry.

Bitcoin Spot ETF Experiences 5 Consecutive Days of Net Outflows, Total $2.5 Billion

The US Bitcoin spot ETF has experienced five consecutive days of net fund outflows, dampening investor sentiment. According to Farside statistics, the net outflow on Friday alone reached $103.5 million. Including the four shortened trading days last week due to Martin Luther King Day, the total outflow over the past five trading days reached $1.72 billion.

This reflects overall weak buying momentum in the cryptocurrency market. At the time of reporting, Bitcoin’s spot price was trading at around $89,160, not having broken the psychological resistance of $100,000 since November 13 last year.

The winter storm and ETF fund outflows have intensified volatility amid broad market adjustments. Power infrastructure and mining productivity have been hit hard, and institutional investment trends are showing divergence.