Wall Street’s biggest Bitcoin bulls are cutting near-term price targets after the latest market pullback. Their longer-term outlook remains intact. Standard Chartered, one of crypto’s most prominent backers, halved its Bitcoin forecasts in a note published Tuesday.
The bank now sees Bitcoin reaching $100,000 by the end of 2025, down from $200,000, and $150,000 by the end of 2026.
Its long-term target of $500,000 remains, though the timeline has been pushed to 2030 from 2028.
The downgrade reflects a shift in demand. Corporate treasury buying, once a major driver, has faded. Exchange-traded fund flows have slowed.
Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital asset research, said aggressive corporate accumulation has “run its course.”
“Future price gains will be driven by one leg only,” Kendrick wrote, referring to ETF inflows. He expects consolidation rather than broad selling.
Bernstein analysts struck a similar tone. They forecast Bitcoin at $150,000 by the end of next year and near $200,000 by late 2027, according to Bloomberg.
The firm dropped its call for a $200,000 peak this year but argues Bitcoin is no longer bound by its historical four-year cycle. Analysts say institutional participation has added durability to the market.
The revisions follow a rough stretch for prices. Bitcoin has fallen almost 30% from its October peak above $126,000.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $60 million in net outflows on Monday. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust lost about $2.3 billion in November, its largest monthly redemption since launch.
Those outflows represent about 3% of the fund’s assets. Bernstein notes that total ETF withdrawals remain below 5% of assets under management. Retail investors still hold most ETF shares, though institutional ownership has climbed to 28%.
Bitcoin price rebound
Despite these predictions, Bitcoin rose more than 4% today to near $94,640, pushing market capitalization to about $1.86 trillion as trading volume climbed to $46 billion and prices hit a seven-day high.
Institutional momentum continued with Twenty One ringing the NYSE opening bell holding over 43,500 BTC, while PNC became the first major U.S. bank to offer direct spot bitcoin trading to private clients and Bank of America encouraged limited digital asset allocations.
Investors are also weighing supportive macro signals, with expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts and comments from Cathie Wood suggesting Bitcoin’s cycle lows may already be in.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading near $94,000.