Core Viewpoint - Standard Chartered forecasts that Bitcoin will reach $100,000 and Ethereum will hit $4,000 by the end of 2026, despite an anticipated decline to $50,000 and $1,400 respectively before that [1] Market Performance - Bitcoin ETF holdings have decreased by approximately 25%, with total assets under management dropping from a peak of $165 billion to $96 billion, a decline of 41% [2] - Ethereum ETFs have similarly fallen from a peak of $23 billion to $13 billion, a decrease of 43% [3] - Bitcoin is currently trading at $67,456, down 27% over the last 30 days and 46% lower than its all-time high of over $126,000 [3] - Ethereum is trading at $1,969, having risen 2.8% in the past day but is still 4% lower than the previous week [4] Future Expectations - A prediction market indicates a 58% chance that Bitcoin's price will drop to $55,000 before rising to $84,000 [4] - Despite recent price declines, Standard Chartered maintains a long-term positive outlook, keeping its end-2030 forecasts for Bitcoin at $500,000, Ethereum at $40,000, and Solana at $2,000 [5] Market Metrics - The bank emphasizes two key metrics during market downturns: the pullback relative to all-time highs and the percentage of Bitcoin currently in profit, noting that while declines are sharp, they are not as extreme as in previous cycles [6]

Core Insights - BlackRock (BLK) has become the first asset manager to exceed $12 trillion in assets under management (AUM), reaching $12.53 trillion in Q2 2025, which significantly contributed to adjusted earnings of $12.05 per share, surpassing estimates by 13% and increasing 16% year-over-year [1][9] Financial Performance - Total revenues on a GAAP basis were $5.42 billion, reflecting a 13% year-over-year increase, although slightly below the consensus estimate of $5.43 billion [2][9] - Investment advisory and administration fees rose 15% to $4.28 billion, while technology services and subscription revenues surged 26% to $499 million; however, performance fees dropped 43% to $94 million [8][9] - Total expenses increased by 23% to $3.69 billion, primarily due to a 17% rise in employee compensation and benefits [10] AUM and Market Dynamics - The record AUM was driven by an 18% year-over-year increase, supported by strong U.S. stock market performance and robust net client inflows [3][9] - BlackRock experienced total net inflows of $68 billion in the quarter, with significant contributions from cash and money-market funds ($22 billion), digital asset ETFs ($14 billion), and alternative investments ($9.8 billion) [4] Client Activity - A notable withdrawal of $52 billion by a large Asian institutional client from a low-cost index strategy negatively impacted long-term net inflows, which decreased by 10% year-over-year to $46 billion [2][9]