Прогнозы аналитиков: биткоин может упасть до $10 000 к 2026 году Translation: Analysts Predictions: Bitcoin Could Plunge to $10,000 by 2026

On December 16, the price of the first cryptocurrency fell below $86,000. Mike McGlone, a senior commodity strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, warned that the asset’s value could plummet to $10,000 by 2026.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $86,464, having lost 3.7% over the past 24 hours.

Following the leading market asset, other cryptocurrencies followed suit in declining value. Ethereum decreased by 6.3%, reaching $2,941; BNB fell by 2.8% to $863; XRP dropped 5.3% to $1.89; and Solana decreased by 4% to $127.

McGlone cautioned about the potential for a significant correction in the cryptocurrency market. He suggested that the next economic recession could be triggered by the collapse of highly speculative digital assets that have an unlimited supply.

According to the analyst, most of these assets lack fundamental value and «do not track anything.»

However, he noted the relative resilience of the first cryptocurrency: as of December 14, Bitcoin’s price had only decreased by about 5%.

Veteran trader and technical analyst Peter Brandt warned of the risks of a steep decline in the price of Bitcoin, citing a breakdown in the asset’s growth structure as the basis for his negative outlook.

The expert pointed out that bull markets historically exhibit an exponential tapering, and Bitcoin rallies tend to develop along a parabolic curve. Previous breaks in this trajectory have consistently resulted in price crashes of more than 80%.

According to Brandt’s calculations, if historical patterns hold and Bitcoin decreases by 80% from its peak, the price could drop to $25,240.

Conversely, Presto Research analyst Rick Maeda mentioned in an interview with The Block that he sees no significant reasons for a crash. He noted that the sell-off coincided with the opening of the U.S. stock market, where both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq began trading lower, dragging down risky assets.

Maeda emphasized that low liquidity at the year’s end exacerbates the situation, making price fluctuations more pronounced, especially during U.S. trading hours.

Vincent Liu, the chief investment officer at Kronos Research, stated that a sharp exit of investors from risk amid macroeconomic uncertainty triggered the drop in prices.

The expert observed that low liquidity turned local downturns into widespread declines as traders began actively reallocating funds into safer assets.

According to Liu, the Federal Reserve’s rate cut hardly affected cautious market forecasts. Two factors worsened the situation: a massive closure of leveraged positions and the seasonal liquidity shortage typical at the year’s end, which led to cascading sell-offs.

A trader known as NoLimit suggested that the decline in cryptocurrency prices was due to the halt of Bitcoin mining equipment in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.

Jack Kong, the founder of Nano Labs, reported that from December 14 to 15, the mining hashrate of the leading cryptocurrency fell by 8%, approximately 100 EH/s. He estimated that at least 400,000 devices were shut down.

At the end of November, the People’s Bank of China promised to «strictly crack down on illegal activities» in the cryptocurrency sector.

Presto researcher Min Zhong explained that, in recent months, China’s share of Bitcoin mining has quietly rebounded to 15% due to cheap electricity and available data center capacity. The speed of the regulator’s actions highlighted the vulnerability of this recovery.

Zhong also emphasized the lack of direct evidence for mass selling of Bitcoins by miners in Xinjiang.

Liu acknowledged that there could be short-term pressure on the asset’s price due to the decrease in network computing power. He added that the fundamental indicators remain unchanged and that the impact of the shutdowns will be temporary.

Lastly, macro analyst Lukas Gromen suggested that the price of the first cryptocurrency might fall to $40,000 by 2026.