Galaxy Digital Warns 2026 Could Be Hardest Year to Predict for Bitcoin, Despite Long-Term Bullish Outlook

Galaxy Digital’s head of firmwide research, Alex Thorn, has cautioned that 2026 may be one of the most difficult years to forecast for Bitcoin, even as the firm remains optimistic about the cryptocurrency’s long-term trajectory. In a Dec. 21 post on X, Thorn described the outlook for 2026 as “too chaotic to predict,” citing heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, political risk, and uneven momentum across the crypto market.

Thorn’s comments were based on Galaxy Research’s Dec. 18 report, “26 Crypto, Bitcoin, DeFi, and AI Predictions for 2026,” which outlines expectations for digital asset markets and growing institutional adoption. At the time of writing, Thorn noted that the broader crypto market appeared to be deep in a bear phase, with Bitcoin struggling to regain sustained bullish momentum. He warned that unless Bitcoin convincingly trades above the $100,000 to $105,000 range, downside risks remain significant.

Bitcoin options markets are reinforcing that uncertainty. According to Thorn, derivatives pricing suggests traders see nearly equal probabilities for sharply different price outcomes. By mid-2026, markets are pricing similar odds of Bitcoin trading near $70,000 or $130,000, while by year-end, expectations range widely from around $50,000 to as high as $250,000. Such dispersion signals that institutional investors are preparing for major volatility rather than a clear directional trend.

Despite near-term unpredictability, Thorn highlighted signs of increasing structural maturity in the Bitcoin market. Long-term Bitcoin volatility has been gradually declining, a trend he attributes in part to institutional strategies like options overwriting and yield-generation programs, which tend to reduce extreme price swings. He also pointed to changes in the Bitcoin volatility smile, where downside protection is now priced more expensively than upside exposure, a characteristic more typical of mature assets such as equities or commodities.

Thorn emphasized that even a quiet or range-bound 2026 would not weaken Bitcoin’s long-term investment case. Galaxy Digital expects continued institutional integration, including the potential inclusion of Bitcoin in standard model portfolios by major asset-allocation platforms. Such developments could drive persistent inflows regardless of market cycles. Looking ahead, Galaxy maintains that Bitcoin could increasingly resemble gold as a hedge against monetary debasement, with the firm projecting a potential price of $250,000 by the end of 2027.