– According to Ki Young Ju, CEO of the analytical platform CryptoQuant, the price of bitcoin needs to exceed $80,000 post-halving to remain profitable for miners. This significant event is scheduled for April 20, 2024. As a result, miners’ block rewards will be halved, while the costs to mine the same amount of coins will conversely increase. Historically, the price of bitcoin tends to rise after a halving. In 2012, the asset appreciated by nearly 9000% to $1162. In 2016, the cryptocurrency price soared by approximately 4200% to $19800. Following the last halving in May 2020, BTC's value increased by 683% to $69000, while mining costs rose to $30000. Currently, the average cost to mine 1 BTC is $49900, with the asset trading close to $70000. Post-April 20, mining expenses will exceed $80000, hence the asset needs to trade above this level for miners to continue making a profit. However, according to some experts, bitcoin's growth does not start immediately. The industry must endure a difficult period, and small mining companies and individual miners face a wave of bankruptcies.
– In the medium term, halving acts as a bullish catalyst for the crypto market. However, prices may fall both before and after the event, believes Arthur Hayes, former CEO of BitMEX. “The narrative that halving block rewards positively impacts cryptocurrency prices has become entrenched. When most market participants agree on a certain outcome, the opposite usually happens,” stated the expert. He noted that the market would face a reduction in dollar liquidity in the latter half of April, driven by the tax payment season, the Federal Reserve's policies, and the strengthening of the US Treasury's balance sheet. This factor will be an additional incentive for a "furious sell-off of cryptocurrencies," Hayes believes. "Can the market defy my bearish predispositions and continue to grow? I hope it can. Having been involved in cryptocurrency for a long time, I welcome being proven wrong." In May-June, the situation should improve: the Fed will begin to ease its monetary policy and the Treasury is likely to inject an additional $1 trillion into the system, which will pump the markets, added Hayes. “The set of tricks from the regulators has only reinforced my decision to refrain from trading bitcoin until early May. Missing a few percentage points of profit but definitely avoiding losses for my portfolio is an acceptable outcome,” he declared.
– Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, suggested that the market capitalization of the crypto industry might double by the end of this year, surpassing $5 trillion. In an interview with CNBC, he stated he is "very optimistic" about macroeconomic trends in the crypto industry, such as the introduction of spot bitcoin ETFs (ETFs). According to Garlinghouse, BTC-ETFs have attracted real institutional investments into the industry for the first time. Another macro factor that could lead to market capitalization growth, he noted, is the halving. The Ripple head also expects more clarity in regulation following the US presidential elections. "The United States remains the world’s largest economy and, unfortunately, one of the most hostile markets for cryptocurrencies," Garlinghouse remarked.
– Lucas Kiely, CIO of the financial platform Yield App, stated that the upcoming halving should not be expected to cause a sevenfold increase in bitcoin's price. According to Kiely, during the previous three cycles, halving the miners' rewards heralded a huge increase in volatility levels. After the halving, BTC's price dropped by 30-40% but then soared to unprecedented heights within 480 days. However, this year, he believes, the "cryptocurrency flight to the Moon" will not occur. Lucas attributes the decrease in volatility to two factors: 1. an increase in the number of bitcoins held by hodlers owning more than 70% of the issued coins, and 2. the creation of BTC-ETFs, whose issuers withdraw an average of 10,000 BTC coins worth about $700 million from circulation daily. As a result, bitcoin is becoming a traditional asset, less risky but also less promising in terms of huge profits. Kiely believes that this factor makes the coin more attractive to institutional investors and older people who prefer to invest in reliable assets and avoid gambling.
– Anthony Scaramucci, CEO of Skybridge, claimed that bitcoin could grow 2.5 times in this cycle but will continue to grow in the longer term. "I'm simply saying that bitcoin's market capitalization could reach half that of gold, which means it could increase six or even eight times from its current figures." Note that bitcoin's current market capitalization stands at $1.35 trillion, while gold is valued at $15.8 trillion. Thus, if BTC reaches half of gold’s capitalization, its price will approximately be $400,000 per coin. Scaramucci described the spot BTC-ETFs launched in January as "selling machines." In the three months since their inception, the capitalization of these 10 ETFs (excluding the Grayscale fund) has exceeded $12 billion. According to the CEO of Skybridge, they will continue to boost demand for the leading cryptocurrency from both retail and institutional investors.
– Two malicious extensions for Google Chrome enabled the theft of $800,000 in cryptocurrency from the wallets of a trader known as Sell When Over, he informed his followers on the social network X. The trader suspected that the extensions named "Sync test BETA (colourful)" and "Simple Game" contained keyloggers, which are tools cybercriminals use to record every keystroke of the victim's computer, thus gaining access to sensitive information. Sell When Over reported that the issue arose after Google Chrome released an update in March. Following a forced reboot, he discovered that all his extensions were disabled, and their tabs deleted. He had to reinstall the applications and re-enter his data, including seed phrases for access to his crypto wallets. It was after this that he lost $800,000. Initially, the trader was not sure that the malicious extensions were to blame. However, a subsequent investigation confirmed that keyloggers were indeed the culprit.
– Mike Novogratz, founder of Galaxy Digital, admitted in a recent interview that he had invested a significant portion of his capital in bitcoins and altcoins. He highlighted that while housing prices in the US had doubled over the last 12 years, wages had not kept pace. "Cryptocurrency has become a means for many people to lead a normal life," he emphasized, expressing confidence that bitcoin should be a part of every portfolio. Regarding Ethereum and Solana, the businessman believes the value of their ecosystems will depend on their ability to attract new users. Additionally, Novogratz pointed out the great potential of Dogecoin and Cardano and mentioned that blockchain-based games are becoming increasingly popular.
– In a survey conducted by Deutsche Bank, 15% of respondents said that bitcoin would trade above $40,000 but below $75,000 this year. A third of respondents were confident that the price of bitcoin would fall below $20,000 at the beginning of next year. Meanwhile, 38% believed that the primary cryptocurrency would cease to exist in the market altogether. About 1% of respondents called bitcoin a complete misunderstanding and speculation. Despite such survey results, Deutsche Bank remains convinced that the price of bitcoin will continue to rise. The market is in a state of anticipation for the upcoming halving, and investments in spot bitcoin ETFs continue to increase from major financial institutions.
Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.
