TL;DR

Major Bank Sees Buying Opportunity in the Correction

Amid a market defined by risk aversion and a fear-and-greed index of just 12 out of 100, Standard Chartered is choosing to keep a cool head. The bank's global head of digital assets research, Geoff Kendrick, told Yahoo Finance that the market is "almost at the bottom" and that the price range around $62,000–$65,000 represents an attractive entry zone for investors with a long-term horizon.

The bank maintains its Bitcoin price target of $100,000 by the end of 2026, along with a target of $4,000 for Ethereum by the same date.

Kendrick calls current price levels a "buy zone" — but simultaneously cautions against trying to time the bottom with surgical precision.

Four Pillars Behind the "Bottom" Analysis

Standard Chartered's assessment rests on several concrete market indicators, according to research based on the bank's analyses.

The role of ETF resilience: Despite outflows of $1.42 billion in the week ending May 29, 2026, and cumulative outflows exceeding $4.21 billion over the three preceding weeks, net cumulative inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs remain at approximately $54.2 billion. Total holdings have declined only modestly — from a peak of nearly 682,000 BTC to around 674,000 BTC — which Kendrick interprets as "structurally stable" capital.

Futures liquidations cleanse the market: Approximately $1.5 billion in futures contracts were liquidated during the past week (as of early June 2026). Kendrick views this as a necessary cleansing process that removes weak long positions and reduces immediate downside pressure.

The Strategy effect: The bank expects the company Strategy — formerly known as MicroStrategy — to increase its Bitcoin purchases after recently selling 32 BTC to cover preferred share obligations. Kendrick points to a historical pattern: in December 2022, Strategy purchased 810 BTC just two days after selling 704. Analysts estimate a potential buyback of between 320 and 3,200 BTC.

Technical analysis: Bitcoin is trading near its 200-week moving average, a level that has historically marked the end of previous downturns. In addition, the price sits at the lower boundary of the so-called "Power Law" corridor, with a Power Law Oscillator indicating that Bitcoin is cheaper than at 95.6 percent of all previous historical readings relative to long-term trend.

$54.2B
Cumulative net ETF inflows
$1.5B
Futures liquidations past week

Risk Factors That Could Upend the Analysis

Kendrick is not without caveats. He acknowledges that there remains a real risk of Bitcoin falling below $60,000, and identifies three scenarios that could mean the bottom has not yet been reached:

  • Accelerating outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs
  • A surprise restrictive signal from the U.S. Federal Reserve, without a telegraphed rate cut
  • Bitcoin dominance falling below the 52–54 percent level

The bank recommends a dollar-cost averaging strategy rather than speculating on the exact bottom.

Long-Term Targets Revised Downward

It is worth noting that Standard Chartered in February 2026 lowered its price target for the current year from $150,000 to $100,000, citing persistent ETF outflows, reduced risk appetite, and weaker expectations for future rate cuts. The bank's long-term target of $500,000 has also been pushed back from 2028 to 2030.

Standard Chartered's analysis provides grounds for cautious optimism — but the market remains in risk-off mode with a fear index of 12/100.

It is important to emphasize that these are the bank's internal analyst views, and that market predictions in the crypto segment have historically proven difficult to get right — even for seasoned institutions.