Supply and Halvings

Bitcoin's supply schedule is one of its most distinctive features. New issuance starts high to bootstrap the network, then gets cut in half at regular intervals through events known as halvings.

This does not mean all BTC appeared at once or that scarcity arrives in a single moment. Instead, the rate of new supply slows step by step over many years.

Markets care about this schedule because it is public and relatively easy to model. Nobody on a policy committee can vote to accelerate issuance next quarter if the network's consensus rules stay intact.

The schedule does not predict price by itself, but it does give Bitcoin a monetary rhythm that users, miners, and analysts can plan around with far more certainty than in most fiat systems.