The under is from a latest version of the Deep Dive, Bitcoin Journal’s premium markets e-newsletter. To be among the many first to obtain these insights and different on-chain bitcoin market evaluation straight to your inbox, subscribe now.
In right now’s Each day Dive we’ll take an in-depth have a look at Reserve Danger.

Supply: Glassnode
Reserve danger is a metric based by Hans Hauge, and it’s a cyclical market indicator which goals to quantify the chance/reward of allocating to bitcoin primarily based on the conviction of long-term holders. Merely, reserve danger is a ratio between the present worth of bitcoin and the conviction of long-term holders. The present worth may be considered the motivation to promote, and the conviction of long-term holders/traders may be quantified as the chance value of not promoting.
We are going to extra totally describe and quantify these metrics additional alongside within the piece.
The next is an excerpt from Glassnode Insights:
“The overall ideas that underpin reserve danger are as follows:
- Each coin that’s not spent accumulates coin-days which quantify how lengthy it has been dormant. That is good instrument for measuring the conviction of sturdy hand HODLers.
- As worth will increase, the motivation to promote and realise these income additionally will increase. In consequence, we sometimes see HODLers spending their cash as bull markets progress.
- Stronger fingers will resist the temptation to promote and this collective motion builds up an ‘alternative value.’ On a regular basis HODLers actively determine NOT to promote will increase the cumulative unspent ‘alternative value’ (referred to as the HODL financial institution).
- Reserve Danger takes the ratio between the present worth (incentive to promote) and this cumulative ‘alternative value’ (HODL financial institution). In different phrases, Reserve Danger compares the motivation to promote, to the energy of HODLers who’ve resisted the temptation.”
Reserve Danger is low when HODLer conviction is excessive (unspent alternative value is excessive and rising), and worth is low.
Reserve Danger is excessive when HODLer conviction is low (unspent alternative value is low) and worth is excessive.
Reserve Danger Calculation
As proven within the graphic above, reserve danger is outlined as “worth” divided by “HODL financial institution.” Whereas worth clearly does not want an evidence, what’s HODL financial institution, and what sign does it present?
As said earlier, reserve danger is a ratio of the motivation to promote and the chance value of not promoting. HODL financial institution quantifies this “alternative value of not promoting.”
Coin Days Destroyed
In prior Daily Dives, we have now coated coin days destroyed (CDD) as an on-chain metric, so we received’t cowl it extensively right here, however readers can discover further data on CDD here.
Basically, with the entire transparency of the Bitcoin blockchain, one can see what number of days each coin has been held and/or spent. When there may be a lot of CDD on a specific day, it reveals outdated cash are being spent/altering fingers. Additional, if we divide CDD by circulating provide, we will standardize the metric for an rising circulating provide over time.
Whereas the stand-alone metric of supply-adjusted CDD itself does not present a lot sign if any, it serves as a key enter for reserve danger, and here is how: