Standard Chartered Slashes 2025 Bitcoin Forecast to $100K

Core Viewpoint - Standard Chartered has significantly reduced its multi-year price targets for Bitcoin, forecasting it will reach $100,000 by the end of 2025, down from a previous target of $200,000, while maintaining a long-term outlook of $500,000 but extending the timeline to 2030 [1] Price Performance - Bitcoin is currently trading at $90,600, down 1.3% over the past 24 hours, indicating a lack of upward momentum [2] Demand Expectations - The downgrade in Bitcoin's price outlook is attributed to a recalibration of demand expectations, with the end of a major demand source and slower-than-expected institutional adoption via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) being key factors [3] Market Dynamics - Future Bitcoin price increases are expected to be driven primarily by ETF buying, as aggressive corporate buying has diminished. Current quarterly inflows of 50,000 BTC are the lowest since the launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, compared to 450,000 BTC purchased per quarter in late 2024 [4] Economic Influences - Political pressure on the Federal Reserve is impacting risk-on asset classes, with investors anticipating a quarter-point rate cut in the upcoming interest rate decision, which is contingent on the Fed Chairman's guidance for the following year [5] Monetary Policy Outlook - The potential appointment of Kevin Hassett to the FOMC could lead to easier monetary policy, encouraging investment in "hard" assets like Bitcoin as a hedge. A majority of users on prediction market Myriad expect Hassett to be nominated as Fed chair before March 2026 [6] Near-Term Outlook - Bitcoin's near-term outlook is heavily dependent on the outcome of the upcoming FOMC meeting, with analysts indicating that the cryptocurrency has retested the $90,000 level multiple times in recent weeks [7]