"Bitcoin's Fourth Halving: What Investors Need to Know"

The Bitcoin halving, which occurs every four years, led to a surge in transaction fees as a new Bitcoin-based system called Runes launched. The halving reduced the amount miners get rewarded for creating new bitcoin, and fees soared as speculators rushed to mint digital tokens. The event, venerated in the blockchain community, saw a record-high 37.6 BTC fee attached to the halving block, and fees remained far higher than normal in the aftermath. The launch of the Runes protocol for fungible tokens also contributed to the spike in fees, reflecting intense competition by users. The halving is seen as a momentous occasion in the crypto community, symbolizing Bitcoin's original concept as an autonomous, decentralized financial network with a non-inflationary monetary policy set by code.