Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, has issued highly optimistic price predictions for Bitcoin and Ethereum for 2026, forecasting Bitcoin could reach $180,000 and Ethereum could surge to $12,000. Lee shared these views during an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, stating that Bitcoin's rally is far from over and a new all-time high is likely within weeks, despite a recent pullback that saw Bitcoin trade around $88,500 at the end of December.
Lee believes the current price action is merely a pause before the next leg up, driven by institutional players finishing year-end rebalancing and a market leverage reset in October that removed risky debt. He is also extremely bullish on Ethereum, calling it "dramatically undervalued" and comparing its current position to Bitcoin's in 2017. Lee suggested that if Bitcoin hits $250,000, Ethereum could climb to $12,000 or even $22,000, depending on its adoption as a payment rail.
His firm, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, is backing this conviction by significantly increasing its Ethereum holdings, having staked 19,200 ETH worth $60.85 million and now holding over 4 million tokens. Lee views such asset accumulation as a necessity for modern corporate treasuries seeking exponential growth.
Separately, analysts from MEXC, BraveNewCoin, and AInvest have identified $101,000–$105,000 as Bitcoin's next key price target, contingent on holding support at $88,000. This forecast is bolstered by robust institutional inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs, which have surpassed $1.1 billion in 2026, enhancing Bitcoin's stature as a leading institutional investment vehicle.
Lee cautioned that 2026 will be a year of two halves, with the first six months likely involving a "strategic reset" and heightened volatility as institutions reposition. However, he expects this to set the stage for a stronger rally in the second half of the year. His bullish outlook extends to traditional markets, predicting the S&P 500 could reach $7,700 by year-end, driven by AI-driven productivity gains and resilient corporate earnings.
