Markets · The Board dashboard

Bitcoin network

The chain's own vital signs: what it costs to transact right now, and whether miners are adding or removing machines.

next-block fee 1 sat/vB 1-hour fee 1 sat/vB difficulty est. +6.2% 73 blocks to retarget

Fees from mempool.space, difficulty with each build. As of 8:24 PM ET on Oct 15.

Network 101

Fees are demand

Every Bitcoin transaction bids for limited block space. High fees mean the chain is crowded with activity; fees of a few sat/vB mean it is quiet. Quiet is not automatically bearish, but it does mean nobody is rushing.

Difficulty is confidence

Mining difficulty adjusts about every two weeks so blocks keep arriving on schedule. Rising difficulty means miners are plugging in more machines, a long-term bet with real electricity bills behind it. Falling difficulty means some are switching off.

Slow signals

Network vitals move slowly and that is their value: they are hard to fake and hard to spin. They tell you about the health of the system, not tomorrow's price.

This time last week: down 66.7% since.

As of 8:24 PM ET on Oct 15, 2026.

Sources: public market data, alternative.me, mempool.space.