The upward momentum in the US that fueled April's price surge is losing steam. The Coinbase Premium, which measures the difference between the price of Bitcoin on Coinbase and offshore exchanges, has turned negative for the first time since early April, according to CryptoQuant data. This metric had been consistently positive from April 8 to April 22, the period during which Bitcoin's price rose from $66,000 to a local high of nearly $78,000. The premium peaked around April 22 and has been declining since.
As Coinbase is often used as a proxy for US institutional and dollar-denominated flows, a sustained negative reading suggests that American investors are consistently paying lower prices than the rest of the world, indicating either more aggressive selling or a lack of buying interest. On-chain data paints a similar picture. The 7-day sum of Bitcoin Realized Loss, which tracks the total dollar value of coins sold at a loss across the network, surged to $5.97 billion on April 24 as Bitcoin traded near $78,000. This realized loss is only recognized when holders sell coins below their original purchase price.
A reading of nearly $6 billion at a price of $78,000 implies that the sellers were buyers at higher prices. According to CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler Jr., this cohort likely entered the market between $80,000 and $95,000 in late 2025 and early 2026, using the April bounce as an exit opportunity rather than a re-entry point. The combination of these two datasets suggests that US institutional buyers are slowing their pace on Coinbase, coinciding with increased selling activity by holders.
Bitcoin was recently trading around $76,000. Going forward, traders will be watching to see if the Realized Loss metric continues to decline as the supply of underwater coins is worked through. The reading has already decreased from its April 24 peak to $4.7 billion by April 28, indicating that the seller cohort is dwindling.