Year-end Bitcoin market divergence intensifies: optimists eye $100,000, cautious camp focuses on inflation pressure.

PANews October 18 news, according to CoinDesk, institutions have differing views on Bitcoin's year-end trend, with optimists looking toward $100,000 and cautious observers focusing on inflation pressure.

Ryan Rasmussen, Head of Research at Bitwise, believes that driven by factors such as institutional buying through ETFs and continued corporate purchases, concerns over inflation and government debt, and an increasingly clear regulatory environment, Bitcoin is expected to break above $100,000 by the end of 2026. Adam Morgan McCarthy, Head of Research at LO:TECH, expects Bitcoin to most likely fluctuate in the $85,000 to $95,000 range before year-end, with inflation pressure and Federal Reserve policy still acting as market headwinds; to return above $100,000, the market may need to lower expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike in December, and a pullback in oil prices or easing inflation could help facilitate this change.

James Butterfill, Head of Research at CoinShares, pointed out that the contradiction between persistent inflation and a weakening labor market will affect the Federal Reserve's subsequent policy room: cooling inflation may provide room to address labor market weakness, while a reacceleration of inflation may keep monetary policy restrictive.