Only 18% of Uniswap v3 positions under $1,000 beat holding after gas, study finds

Gas charges tipped many small Uniswap liquidity positions behind simply holding the tokens, according to blockchain data firm Bitquery’s October 16 study. Among closed regular positions below $1,000 in eight sampled Ethereum v3 pools, 51% finished ahead before gas, compared with 18% afterward. The median gas bill for that group was 67 cents.Uniswap v4’s flash accounting can reduce transfer overhead for liquidity providers, or LPs, who supply tokens for traders to swap. Standard v4 pools retain the price-range mechanics that change what a provider owns as prices move. Fees must compensate for those inventory changes as well as transaction costs.Bitquery’s return study covers October 14, 2025, through October 13, 2026, in eight Ethereum v3 pools selected for their new-position counts in mid-2026. Its regular-position win rates exclude positions opened and closed within a single block.Gas matters most to small positionsAcross the return study’s eight sampled Ethereum v3 pools, 49% of 71,166 closed regular positions beat holding before gas. After transaction costs, that share fell to 34%.The effect was particularly sharp below $1,000. A transaction cost measured in cents can consume a ...