Investor Lawrence Lepard says Bitcoin could surge to $180,000 within the next 18 months, with a median power-law estimate around $134,000. He views the current market fear as a major buying opportunity, not a sign the bull market is over, and believes limited supply and growing demand will trigger another violent move similar to 2020, when Bitcoin rose nearly fivefold after months of calm. Lepard also notes that gold often reacts first to currency debasement concerns, but Bitcoin follows later with greater intensity, citing the period when gold rose from $1,300 to $2,000 while Bitcoin was flat before jumping from $10,000 to $50,000. He rejects the idea that a four-year cycle explains the current sell-off, pointing to capital flows into AI and SpaceX and the belief that the debasement trade is over. But he sees that view as mistaken, because fiscal discipline has not improved, and the failure of the Department of Government Efficiency only reinforces deficit concerns. Lepard views Bitcoin as financial self-sovereignty and a long-term hedge against a major financial system reset that could result from continued debt expansion and money printing.
CleanSpark Prices $2.276B Senior Secured Notes Due 2031
CleanSpark said on Friday it priced $2.276B of 7.875% senior secured notes due 2031 at 98.5% of the principal amount. The offering is expected to close on September 25. Net proceeds will fund the remaining buildout costs of the Sandersville facility, reimburse certain prior equity contributions, and fund debt service reserves. The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by CSRE Properties Sandersville, a wholly owned subsidiary of the issuer, and the company will provide a completion guarantee and fund any shortfall needed to complete the Sandersville facility. Shares rose 8.39%.
Bitcoin's Bull Market Is Cooling, Watch US Demand Slowdown and Altcoin Selling Pressure
In a weekly report published on September 16, CryptoQuant assessed the current Bitcoin market as a "cooling bull market." After its recent rally, Bitcoin entered a range of $76,000 to $82,000 and is now trading near the lower end of that band, while its bullish score index fell from 80 during the uptrend to 60. Weakness in US investor demand is also clear: the Coinbase Premium has slipped back into negative territory as Bitcoin corrects from around $80,000, and a recovery in spot demand is seen as essential for a sustained advance. Ethereum exchange inflows surged in late August and around September 10, briefly reaching 1.6 million to 1.7 million ETH, while altcoin exchange inflow transactions hit 56,000 on September 8, the highest level in about nine months. Bitcoin exchange inflows, by contrast, have been calm; they briefly rose to about 53,000 BTC when prices climbed to $82,000 but have since declined, indicating that large-scale selling is not continuing. The key price level ahead is around $70,000, where the 200-day moving average sits; a break below that would bring $62,000 to $65,000 into focus as the next major support.
Kevin O'Leary Buys Crypto Again, Gold Comparison Points to $760K Bitcoin
Kevin O'Leary has started buying new crypto positions ahead of what he believes will be the market's next cycle, and his comparison between Bitcoin and institutional gold allocations has produced an eye-watering potential price. Speaking at the Avalanche Summit in New York, O'Leary told The Block he is "back in the saddle buying new positions, putting my bets on for this next cycle," though he did not identify the assets or disclose the value of the positions. He said Bitcoin could eventually represent between 1% and 3% of the capital institutions allocate to alternative assets, drawing a comparison with gold, and Forbes calculated that such a scenario could value Bitcoin between $253,000 and $760,000. The upper estimate would give Bitcoin a market capitalization of roughly $15 trillion, while the lower figure would produce a valuation close to $5 trillion; with Bitcoin recently trading near $80,000, reaching $253,000 would require an increase of approximately 216%, and a move to $760,000 would represent an advance of about 850%. The $760,000 figure is considerably higher than O'Leary's actual public forecast of $150,000 to $200,000 in April, which hinged on the CLARITY Act establishing a clearer regulatory framework, a catalyst removed after the Senate rejected the bill's motion to proceed. O'Leary also said in an April interview with Fox Business that investors could capture approximately 97% of the crypto market's volatility by holding Bitcoin and Ethereum, and that he had reduced a portfolio that once spanned 27 crypto positions primarily to BTC and Ethereum alongside the USDC stablecoin.