Cryptoverse: Miners trudge through post-halving world

Representation of the bitcoin cryptocurrency and a price chart are seen in this illustration taken October 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

With mining rewards halved, mining difficulty elevated and the shiny new bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) stealing investor capital, it's been a tough year for bitcoin miners.

Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms, among the biggest U.S.-listed miners, have dropped about 10% and 33% respectively so far this year, even as bitcoin has climbed 60% year-to-date to $67,859, after hitting a record level in March.