Bitcoin pushed above $92,000 on Jan. 12 after a late-session surge, while mining difficulty dipped in early 2026 for the first time in months. The price jump came as the network’s difficulty eased to about 146.4 trillion, giving miners a short breather.
Bitcoin difficulty dips as BTC trades near $90,500
Bitcoin's mining difficulty edged lower at the start of 2026 after a long stretch of stepwise gains, according to a chart shared by NekoZ on X that carries a CryptoQuant watermark. The dip marked a break from the steady climb that pushed the difficulty line to a peak near the late 2025 highs before it turned down.
Bitcoin Price USD and Mining Difficulty. Source: CryptoQuant/X
The chart tracks Bitcoin price in white and mining difficulty in blue from 2023 into early 2026. At the right edge, BTC held around $90,500 while difficulty sat near 146.4 trillion, down from the recent peak, which signals the network adjusted to slightly easier conditions for miners.
Bitcoin changes difficulty roughly every two weeks, so a move lower typically points to slower block production in the prior period. In practice, that can happen when some hashing power drops off, because operators shut down less efficient machines or pause during weaker margins.
A lower difficulty can lift the expected share of block rewards for miners who stay online, since they face less competition per unit of hash rate. However, the relief depends on price and fees, because miner revenue still tracks the dollar value of rewards and the pace of transaction fee demand.
Bitcoin rallies into the close on 5 minute chart
Bitcoin jumped in late trading on Jan. 12, pushing above $92,000 after a steady climb on the 5 minute chart shared by Barchart on X. The snapshot showed BTC at about $92,133, up roughly $1,692, as buyers drove a near straight move from the low $90,000s into the session high area near $92,400.
Bitcoin USD 5 Minute 1 Day BTCUSD. Source: Barchart/X
Price action stayed quiet for much of the day, then shifted after a dip toward the $90,200 area. Bitcoin rebounded and printed higher lows, and then momentum picked up into the evening.
The strongest leg started around the $90,800 to $91,000 zone, where candles turned green and widened. After that, BTC cleared the $91,600 area and continued higher with limited pullbacks.
By the end of the chart window, Bitcoin traded near $92,133 while the last candles pressed toward the upper band of the day’s range. The move left prior intraday resistance levels behind and put the focus on whether price can hold above $92,000 after the spike.
