Bitcoin’s recent rally has reignited investor focus on ambitious price targets, with Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick now urging market participants to position for a climb to $100,000 by the end of 2026.
In a note shared with Cointelegraph on Aug. 19, Kendrick said investors “should now be positioning for a move at $100,000 by year-end 2026.” The call comes as Bitcoin surged more than 5.5% over 24 hours to trade around $68,356, according to Decibel, following an unexpected liquidity announcement from the U.S. Treasury Department.
Kendrick’s outlook hinges on two key factors: a critical short-term technical level and a shift in Treasury bond market policy that he believes creates favorable conditions for risk assets.
The analyst identified $65,500 as the most important near-term threshold for Bitcoin. A sustained move above that level, he argued, would signal that the bottom of the current market cycle has likely passed. That would, in turn, make the $100,000 year-end 2026 target appear more realistic to investors weighing higher price scenarios.
Kendrick’s bullish stance is not based solely on Bitcoin’s historical four-year cycle dynamics. He also pointed to the Treasury’s latest liquidity measures as a significant catalyst.
The Treasury announced on Aug. 19 that it will at least double the maximum size of buyback operations targeting 10- to 20-year and 20- to 30-year nominal coupon securities, raising the cap from $2 billion to a minimum of $4 billion per operation. The expanded buybacks are scheduled to begin Sept. 9, with further guidance on future purchase sizes expected at the next quarterly refunding on Nov. 4.
The announcement triggered a notable decline in long-term Treasury yields, easing some of the pressure that recent bond market sell-offs had placed on global financial markets. For Bitcoin and other risk assets, improved liquidity conditions have historically provided a tailwind.
Kendrick described the Treasury’s move as “exactly the type of thing Bitcoin loves,” citing the cryptocurrency’s historical tendency to benefit from government liquidity interventions and its fixed supply, which makes it resistant to monetary debasement.
The reaction across financial markets was swift. Beyond Bitcoin’s rally, gold also advanced, and crypto-related equities including Strategy, Coinbase, Circle, and Robinhood saw their stocks climb after the Treasury announcement.
While the $100,000 target represents a clear upside scenario, it remains a projection based on current data and macroeconomic conditions rather than a guarantee. The effectiveness of the Treasury’s liquidity expansion, the trajectory of bond yields, and Bitcoin’s ability to hold above the $65,500 level will be key indicators to watch in the coming months.
The original note was first reported by TheStreet on Aug. 19.