So, we’ve been assured by Bitwise’s very own investment guru, Matt Hougan, that 2026 will be the year crypto finally starts doing the cha-cha. He’s very sure of it, particularly since there hasn’t been any late-2025 mosh pit in the market yet. 🕺💃
While pontificating about everything and nothing at The Bridge conference in New York City (don’t ask about the bridge’s toll prices), Hougan shared that a spike in crypto markets at the end of 2025 would have fit neatly into the four-year cycle theory. Basically, this means we’d be setting up for a potential bear market in 2026, echoing the not-so-glorious years of 2022 and 2018. Familiar territory, right?
When challenged to double-down on his crystal ball commentary about 2026’s crypto boom potential, Hougan confidently reiterated: “I’m actually more confident in that quote. The biggest risk was if we ripped into the end of 2025 and got a dreadful group hug by the market instead.”
He claims interest in Bitcoin’s (BTC) debates about whether it’s more of a digital metal or a pest-infested wallpaper, stablecoins, and tokenization will all continue to accelerate faster than he can say “blockchain.” Also, he’s rather optimistic about Uniswap’s fee switch proposal giving decentralized finance protocols their much-needed caffeine jolt.
Hougan declared, “I think the underlying fundamentals are as robust as my disbelief in microwaved lasagna. These earlier forces-like institutional investment and regulatory progress-seem too overconfident to stay down. So, 2026, here we come!”
Bitcoin could still hit the roof before 2026
Despite deeper pessimism, Hougan remains on the optimistic fence that Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), and Solana (SOL) can reach newfound heights by 2026. Although, his enthusiasm pales in comparison to those who predict Bitcoin and Ether dancing up to $250,000 and $15,000, respectively, before the year’s end. Currently trading at $101,762 and $3,416, they’d need to perform some serious growth acrobatics of 145% and 340%. Talk about a stretch goal!
Crypto-natives in a funk
With current market downturns being blamed on those adventurous “crypto-natives,” we learn that these early investors have been playing more of a game of whack-a-mole than accumulating wealth. Many have experienced enough oscillations to earn a degree in “compressed upside,” according to Hougan.
“Crypto-natives are having a bit of a downer, defeated by FTX’s implosion, scarred by meme coin blunders, and disappointed by the sluggish arrival of an altcoin season. Oh, and let’s not overlook their heartache from a 10/10 liquidation. They’re basking in indifferent wallflower status this time.”
On the flip side, the “TradFi” crowd (which apparently includes my Uncle Ted, recently an eager crypto convert) is basking in their newfound financial turf. He’s joined by a wave of spot crypto exchange-traded fund inflows blossoming over the last couple of years, proving that sometimes old dogs can indeed harness new tricks.
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2025-11-13 04:19