ETF outflows and macro headwinds push Standard Chartered to lower Bitcoin and Ether targets.
Financial firm Standard Chartered has once again lowered its Bitcoin forecast after the weak market outing forced investors into caution. Notably, this revised stance is driven by increased market swings, ETF outflows, and weaker risk appetite.
And as a result, analysts are betting on further southbound travels before a potential trend flip. According to Bloomberg, the latest resh projections marks the second price revision in less than three months.
In its latest prediction, Standard Chartered believes Bitcoin will close the year at $100,000. Before now, the firm had pointed to a $150,000 end-of-year close for the OG crypto. In fact, price estimates for December stood as high as $300,000.
Bitcoin continued its weak trend on Thursday after falling to trade near $67,939. The ongoing swings have kept investors on edge.
Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research, warned of further capitulation in the coming months. Kendrick mentioned that pressure could push Bitcoin toward $50,000 before a rebound begins.
Holdings in US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs have fallen by nearly 100,000 tokens since their Oct. 10 peak. Investors have withdrawn almost $8 billion over that period, Bloomberg data shows. Average ETF buyers entered near $90,000 and now sit on losses.
Meanwhile, US economic data suggests slowing growth, yet markets expect no further rate cuts for now. As reported, Kevin Warsh is set to take over as Federal Reserve chair later this year. Analysts believe that rate expectations may limit fresh capital entering crypto markets.
For Ethereum, Standard Chartered cut its end-of-year target to $4,000 from $7,500. At the time of writing, Ether is exchanging hands below $2,000. Kendrick expects a drop toward $1,400 before recovery later in the year.
Bitcoin has fallen more than 40% from its October peak near $127,000. At the same time, the broader crypto market value has dropped by almost $2 trillion, according to CoinGecko. Performance now trails major equity indexes such as the Nasdaq and S&P 500.
Despite sharp losses, Kendrick described the downturn as more orderly than past cycles. No major digital asset platforms have collapsed during the recent sell-off. Market structure appears stronger than in earlier crashes. Maturity may limit systemic risks even if prices remain under pressure.
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