Geoff Kendrick, head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, recently warned about a possible correction of the Bitcoin price toward 50.000 dollars before a definitive recovery. The analyst suggests that current macroeconomic conditions and weakness in ETF flows will force a final capitulation during the coming months of this year.
Kendrick also projects that Ethereum could drop to 1,400 dollars, reflecting a temporary pessimism due to the uncertainty of global monetary policy. However, the bank considers these levels as strategic entry points for institutional investors, maintaining its confidence in a subsequent rebound. The Bitcoin price toward 50,000 dollars would therefore represent a historic buying opportunity.
Macroeconomic pressures and the leadership change at the Federal Reserve
The environment for cryptocurrencies faces significant headwinds, driven mainly by a United States economy that begins to show signs of persistent cooling. Therefore, markets do not anticipate immediate rate cuts, expecting liquidity to improve only when Warsh assumes the Fed chairmanship, which would postpone any massive institutional recovery until the summer.
On the other hand, the decrease in holdings of the ETFs of Bitcoin, which have fallen approximately 25 percent, amplifies the bearish volatility. Investors prefer to sell in the face of uncertainty rather than buy during dips, making it difficult for the Bitcoin price toward 50,000 dollars to find solid support without a prior significant capitulation in the short term.
However, this correction phase is perceived as a symptom of maturity for the sector, differing drastically from the systemic collapses experienced in 2022. Since no major platform bankruptcies have been recorded, market resilience suggests that this adjustment is a necessary technical adjustment within a bullish cycle that will culminate next year.
Furthermore, institutional investors could take advantage of these levels of discount to accumulate assets before the predicted monetary cycle change. In this way, the transfer of wealth from weak hands to long-term holders would define the long-term support structure, allowing the market to absorb the remaining selling pressure in an orderly manner.
When will the market reach the 100,000 dollar targets for next year?
Looking toward the end of 2026, Standard Chartered maintains a constructive stance, projecting that Bitcoin will reach 100,000 dollars after overcoming the volatility current. In this way, the stabilization of liquidity expectations will allow the Bitcoin price toward 50,000 dollars to be remembered as the catalyst for a new robust and global bull market.
Likewise, Ethereum should follow a similar trajectory to 4,000 dollars driven by greater regulatory clarity and the adoption of digital financial infrastructures. Analysts conclude that, despite the short-term pain, consolidating digital assets as essential components of modern portfolios, the upward trend will resume after bottoming out.
On the other hand, the structural resilience observed against periods of low liquidity reinforces the thesis of an accelerated maturation of the global cryptographic market. Once ETF pressure stabilizes, the market will enter a phase of macroeconomic stabilization that will arrive at year-end, paving the way for record valuations.
The market will resume its path toward new global all-time highs once the current political and economic uncertainty in the United States dissipates. Without a doubt, the next months will be decisive for defining the future of the industry, marking a turning point where strategic patience will overcome the momentary fear of speculators.
