Citi Raises Ether Forecast to $4,500, Adjusts Bitcoin Target Down to $132K

Core Viewpoint - Citigroup has updated its crypto market forecast, raising the price target for Ethereum while slightly lowering the year-end target for Bitcoin, attributing these changes to stronger investor flows and increasing institutional adoption [1][2]. Bitcoin Forecast - Citigroup projects Bitcoin will end the year at $132,000, a slight decrease from the previous target of $135,000 set in July 2025, with a 12-month target remaining at $181,000 [2]. - Analysts at Citigroup maintain a strong conviction for Bitcoin, labeling it as the bank's preferred digital asset due to its ability to capture a significant portion of incremental flows into the crypto market [3][4]. Ethereum Forecast - The forecast for Ethereum has been raised to $4,500 by the end of 2025, with a 12-month target of $5,440 [2]. Investment Trends - Citigroup expects positive momentum from investment flows to continue, driven by institutional investors and financial advisors allocating capital to cryptocurrencies, supported by a favorable regulatory environment, particularly in the US [5]. Market Dynamics - Bitcoin's size, longer history, and its established 'digital-gold' narrative make it more appealing to investors, with a strengthening correlation to actual gold reinforcing its role as a store of value [4]. - The outlook for Ethereum is considered more complex due to uncertainties in modeling user activity and value accrual from Layer-2 networks, although strong investor flows could still lead to price appreciation [6].