Bitcoin (BTC) and other digital assets have fallen as part of a broader macro-driven sell-off in the market, and there is a risk that forced selling could lead to further weakness, investment bank Standard Chartered said in a report on Monday.
The market downturn was triggered by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s hawkish press conference in mid-December.
The bank noted that investors who took on bitcoin exposure after the US election in November are now “just breaking even” and there is a risk that forced or panic selling could add to the sell-off. This includes buyers of exchange-traded funds (ETF) and BTC buyer MicroStrategy (MSTR).
“The risk of mark-to-market pain is rising,” wrote Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered.
If the world’s largest cryptocurrency breaks below the key $90,000 level, it could return 10% lower to the low $80,000s, according to the report, and other digital assets are likely to fall as well.
The bank advises to add bitcoin once the retracement is over.
Standard Chartered still expects bitcoin to reach $200,000 by the end of the year, driven by the resumption of institutional inflows under the new Trump administration.
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