Bitcoin Could Slip Under $100K This Weekend, Standard Chartered Warns

• A short-lived dip below $100K could be presenting a prime buying opportunity before Bitcoin resumes its long-term uptrend.
• Renewing U.S.–China tensions and macro tighten remaining the key short-term risks to monitor for volatility-driven sell-offs.

Following Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research, Geoffrey Kendrick, has forecasted an “inevitable” drop in Bitcoin’s price below the psychologically significant $100,000 mark – specifically, potentially as soon as this weekend. This bearishing call notably comes just three weeks after the same analyst also predicted that Bitcoin could surge to $135,000 in the nearing term.

According to a Crypto News Flash (CNF) report, the bank previously projected that with the decline in government bonding the yields, Bitcoin could reach $500,000. The report further noted:

Furthermore, according to reports on Kendrick’s note to clients, he attributing the impending dip to a combination of macroeconomic pressures, with renewed U.S.–China trade frictions at the forefront.

In addition, President Donald Trump’s recent escalation of tariff threats against Beijing triggered a massive cryptocurrency sell-off only ever about two weeks ago, wiping out roughly $750 million in leveraging positions and sending Bitcoin tumbling from above $122,000 to $101,000 in a matter of only some hours.

However, Kendrick’s outlook isn’t a full-throated bear case. He describes the sub-$100,000 dip as “short-lived” and potentially “the last time Bitcoin is EVER below” that threshold – a tantalizing prospect for dip buyers eyeing the bank’s unchanged year-end target of $200,000 and a staggering $500,000 by 2028.

Implications of Standard Chartered’s Warning for BTC Price

According to our recent forecast, this warning underscore Bitcoin’s dual nature: a high-beta risk asset sensitive to macro shocks, yet fundamentally supported by scarcity and institutional adoption. In our analysts’ view, the pullback represents a healthy consolidation phase, clearing excess froth before the next leg up – potentially fueling by sustained ETF inflows, possible Federal Reserve rate cuts.

A breach below $100K however, could trigger an additional $1–2 billion in liquidations, accelerating the dip but also flushing out weak hands – a classic capitulation event that historically precedes 20–50% rebounds during bull markets.

As of now, Bitcoin’s price shows immediate risk near $109,919.35, marking a 1.52% increase over the past day but a 1.35% decline over the past week inevitably. This suggests that a prolonge trading war escalation might delay the $200K year-end target to Q1 2026.

Overall, the situation reinforcing Bitcoin’s trajectory as digital gold: volatile in the short term yet inexorably up in the long run. See BTC price chart below.