Bitcoin News Update: Eternal Bull Tom Lee Rejects Bearish Doubts, Maintains $200k Bitcoin Prediction

Although Bitcoin's value has dropped sharply below $90,000, Tom Lee, BitMine's executive chairman and a well-known long-term optimist in the financial sector, continues to stand by his forecast that the cryptocurrency will climb to between $150,000 and $200,000 by the close of January 2026. He reaffirmed this outlook in a November 2025 interview,

, as has shed more than 25% of its value since the liquidation event in October.

Lee points to short-term market factors, such as ongoing unease from the October 10 sell-off and ambiguity regarding Federal Reserve actions, as reasons for the recent slump. Nevertheless, he maintains that technical signals indicate the downturn is nearly over, with BitMine’s Matt Hougan

that the current price levels offer a "once-in-a-generation chance" for those investing for the long haul. Lee’s optimism is based on his conviction that a broader rally in equities will eventually drive Bitcoin to fresh peaks, where both stocks and cryptocurrencies have moved together.

This projection builds on Lee’s previous predictions, such as his statement at the South Korea Blockchain Week Impact Summit in September 2025 that Bitcoin could reach $200,000–$250,000 by year’s end. While the timing has shifted, his faith in Bitcoin’s long-term prospects remains firm. This is consistent with BitMine’s own approach, which involves holding $11.8 billion in crypto and cash reserves,

— representing 2.9% of the total supply — within its portfolio.

Lee also anticipates

entering a "supercycle" similar to Bitcoin’s earlier periods of rapid growth. He draws parallels between ETH’s current price movement and Bitcoin’s 2017 surge, emphasizing that heightened volatility often comes before major rallies. With long-term Ethereum holders now possessing 27 million tokens, up from 10 million earlier in 2025, that ongoing accumulation and upgrades like the Fusaka network update are setting the stage for a prolonged ETH uptrend.

Nonetheless, skepticism in the market is evident.

, global political tensions, and worries about AI-related valuations have deepened the decline, with Bitcoin ETFs seeing $3.79 billion in outflows just in November. Detractors such as Alliance DAO’s QwQiao caution that prices could fall another 50% before a true bottom is reached, while BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF .

Even with these challenges, Lee’s history as an outspoken optimist—famously forecasting that the S&P 500 would double by 2030—has brought him both praise and doubt. His Bloomberg profile

such as a speculative $3 million Bitcoin price by 2030. For now, the market is in a waiting game, with Lee’s $200,000 target dependent on larger economic shifts and a return to risk-friendly sentiment.