Geoff Kendrick of Normal Chartered warns that Bitcoin may check $50,000 earlier than recovering, as ETF outflows and a weaker macroeconomic atmosphere strain costs. The financial institution decreased its 2026 Bitcoin value forecast from $150,000 to $100,000, citing deteriorating threat urge for food and fading expectations for near-term Federal Reserve price cuts. The details about the outlook was offered by Walter Bloomberg, citing the unique client-only word of Normal Chartered.
On the time of writing, Bitcoin was buying and selling close to $67,869 after hitting a 16-month low of $60,000 final week, marking a decline of greater than 40% from its October peak. Ether modified arms at round $1,984 after reaching $1,751, a nine-month low.
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Kendrick now sees Ethereum probably sliding towards $1,400 earlier than stabilizing. He characterizes the present part as weak to additional draw back if capital continues to exit digital asset funding merchandise.
Why $50,000 is now in play
The central driver behind the revised outlook, as Kendrick frames it, is ETF-driven strain. As financial information level to a softer progress atmosphere and markets cut back expectations for Fed easing till at the very least June, practically $8 billion have been withdrawn from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs.
On this context, Bitcoin’s correlation with broader threat property has grow to be obvious once more. If redemptions persist, spot gross sales underlying ETF flows may push the asset towards the $50,000 degree, which is seen as a technical and psychological check zone.
Normal Chartered emphasizes that the present decline has been extra orderly than earlier crypto downturns, with much less proof of disorderly leverage cascades.
Bear Case
- Continued ETF outflows intensify.
- Fed price cuts postponed additional into the second half of 2026.
- Broader fairness weak point impacts digital property.
- Bitcoin checks $50,000, Ether approaches $1,400.
Bull Case
- ETF flows stabilize and regularly return.
- Clearer Fed easing timeline restores allocation to threat property.
- Lengthy-term institutional adoption thesis stays intact.
- Bitcoin recovers towards $100,000 by the top of 2026.
All issues thought of, the financial institution’s downgrade reframes the trail ahead as conditional on macro stabilization and ETF demand restoration, slightly than speculative enlargement alone.

