📊 Market Outlook: Institutional Predictions and Core Disagreements

Although prices have pulled back from their highs, mainstream Wall Street institutions have not turned pessimistic. While there is disagreement in the market over target prices by the end of 2026, sentiment is generally bullish:

· Optimists: Ripple CEO predicts $180k, assuming the U.S. regulatory framework is implemented within the year; VanEck believes that if the BTC/gold ratio returns to its historical peak, it would correspond to about $160k.
· Relatively cautious: Standard Chartered has lowered its target price from $150k to $100k due to slowing ETF fund inflows; Citigroup has also lowered it to $112k.
· Technical indicators: Institutional buy orders are absorbing 577% of the daily mined output, indicating strong real demand. But some analysts warn that if the $80,000 key level is not broken for long, the price could test $55,000.

The biggest uncertainty lies in the macroeconomic picture: the Federal Reserve has hinted that high interest rates will persist for longer—possibly even with additional rate hikes. This means the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets (BTC) is extremely high, and whether funds can significantly flow back from traditional safe-haven assets like gold will determine the explosiveness of the next bull market. $BTC