Bitcoin demand drops as Strategy pauses buying spree, plans $4.2 billion offering to boost holdings

Strategy announced on Monday that it entered a $4.2 billion at-the-market (ATM) offering for its Series A Perpetual Stride Preferred Stock (STRD) after breaking its three-month Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation streak last week. This comes at a time when spot BTC demand has dropped despite increasing treasury allocations and continued BTC exchange-traded funds (ETF) inflows.

Strategy plans to boost BTC holdings with $4.2 billion offering amid low Bitcoin demand

Strategy paused its nearly three-month Bitcoin buying streak, which began on April 14, as the firm did not announce any new acquisition last week, according to a Monday filing with the SEC. During this period, Strategy purchased over 69,000 BTC for nearly $7 billion, boosting its holdings to 597,325 BTC, valued at over $65 billion. This accounts for more than 2.8% of Bitcoin's total supply of 21 million BTC.

The firm also revealed it entered a sales agreement to issue up to $4.2 billion of its STRD stock, which it intends to use to resume its Bitcoin purchases.

Strategy's newly disclosed acquisition plan comes as Bitcoin ETFs continued their inflow run last week, netting $790 million, according to a report from CoinShares on Monday. However, the figure declined from the prior three weeks' average of $1.5 billion, potentially signaling a slowdown in demand as BTC edged closer to its all-time high price, the report states.

Despite steady Bitcoin ETF inflows and strong buying from treasury companies, spot demand for Bitcoin has slowed in recent weeks. The decline can be traced to a slowdown in market sentiment, keeping BTC caught between bullish speculation and short-term uncertainty, according to Shawn Young, Chief Analyst at crypto exchange MEXC.

"This market dynamics is weighing heavily on market sentiment," Young said in a note, highlighting macroeconomic instability as a major cause for the volatility. He predicts that the upcoming Crypto Week could serve as a catalyst for renewed demand in Bitcoin and potentially trigger a push toward new highs. "Market participants would seek a favorable market vantage position in anticipation of the new policy direction for digital assets," he added.

QCP analysts highlighted that strategic weekend accumulation by firms such as Metaplanet has helped sustain Bitcoin's price despite fears triggered by the sudden activity of eight previously dormant wallets that transferred roughly $8.5 billion worth of BTC on Saturday. However, they anticipate a bullish Q3 based on dynamics from the BTC options market.

"Volumes remain pinned near historical lows, but a decisive breach of the $110k resistance could spark a renewed volatility bid. Some larger players appear to be positioning for just that," wrote QCP analysts. "They are continuing to add exposure to September $130k calls, while steadfastly holding September $115/$140k call spreads, underscoring a structurally bullish Q3 outlook."

Bitcoin is changing hands just above $108,000, down nearly 1% over the past 24 hours at the time of publication.