According to CoinDesk, Standard Chartered has raised its year-end bitcoin price forecast by 50% to $150,000. The bank also predicted that BTC will reach a high for the cycle of $250,000 during 2025 before settling around $200,000. Additionally, the ether price could climb to $8,000 by year-end if a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) is approved in the U.S.
Standard Chartered based its analysis on a comparison with the price of gold after gold ETFs were introduced in the U.S. and a correlation between ETF inflows and the BTC price. Spot bitcoin ETFs started trading in the U.S. in January. The bank believes that the gold analogy remains a good starting point for estimating the 'correct' BTC price level medium-term.
The bank also said the Securities and Exchange Commission could approve an ether (ETH) ETF on May 23, leading to inflows of as much as $45 billion in the first 12 months and ETH reaching around $8,000 by the end of 2024. In 2025, Standard Chartered sees the ETH-to-BTC price ratio rising back to the 7% level that prevailed for much of 2021-22, implying an ETH price of $14,000.
