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.
Standard Chartered: Bitcoin Near the Bottom – Holds $100,000 Target - Bilde 1

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
Standard Chartered: Bitcoin Near the Bottom – Holds $100,000 Target - Bilde 2

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.