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Bitcoin sets sights on $150K as ETF inflows surge and institutional demand grows
Analysts and market experts expect a trading range of $105,000 to $150,000, with key levels at $108,500 support and $130,000 resistance serving as critical markers for momentum confirmation
- PUBLISHED: Mon 4 Aug 2025, 5:29 PM
Bitcoin will continue its upward trend in second half of the year and may hit psychological barrier of 150,000 by October as investors pour massive funds into crypto's exchange-traded funds (ETFs), analysts say.
The world's largest cryptocurrency is on track to hit new highs as economic uncertainties drive investors to park their funds in risk-on investments, including spot Bitcoin ETFs.
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In its latest report, Cooper Research said the world's oldest cryptocurrency could hit a price of $140,000 in September, sailing to $150,000 as soon as early October. The research firm said Bitcoin is primed for another significant jump after crossing $120,000 for the first time.
Analysts and market experts expect a trading range of $105,000 to $150,000, with key levels at $108,500 support and $130,000 resistance serving as critical markers for momentum confirmation.
Cooper researchers’ earlier findings that Bitcoin markets could begin to overheat between the $140,000 and $200,000 range this year “still hold,” they added.
Pro-crypto sentiment
Ryan Lee, Chief Analyst at Bitget Research, ssid Bitcoin’s breakout above $120,000 marks a pivotal shift, fuelled by pro-crypto sentiment from the Trump campaign, strong ETF inflows, and increasing corporate treasury allocations.
"These drivers signal a sustained bullish trend heading into third quarter of 2025, with BTC projected to average around $125,000," Lee told BTR.
He said Ethereum is also gaining strength, currently trading between $2,800 and $3,000, supported by continued ETF demand, the upcoming Pectra upgrade, and expanding DeFi activity.
"ETH is forecasted to average $3,800 in July-September 2025 quarter, with upside potential toward $5,000 if it can clear the $3,700 resistance. However, downside risks remain: a Bitcoin correction or shifting regulatory landscape could push ETH back to $2,700," he said.
Josh Gilbert, Market Analyst at eToro, said Bitcoin has surged past $120,000 for the first time, marking yet another record in what’s shaping up to be a monumental rise.
"Strong ETF inflows and a solid macro backdrop have helped drive market momentum and that momentum keeps driving new all-time highs. The pace of gains in recent weeks reflects not just growing demand, but the growing maturity of Bitcoin as an asset class, Gilbert told BTR.
"What we’re seeing now is sustained interest, supported by structural inflows, rather than short-term speculation. That matches the most crucial shift, which is who’s buying. Institutional adoption is growing, and this is the first real bull market where institutional participation is front and centre," he said.
Treasury Strategy
Publicly traded companies are now adopting Bitcoin as part of their treasury strategy, with some making multi-billion-dollar allocations. At the same time, retirement funds and sovereign wealth funds are starting to gain exposure through ETFs, adding to the wave of demand chasing a fixed supply.
"Central banks keep running expansive monetary policies and global money supply keeps rising. In that environment, an asset with fixed, decentralised supply cements itself as an alternative store of value," according to Gilbert.
Importantly, he said retail adoption is still only getting started. Bitcoin as an asset in an investment portfolio is still in its infancy, and that in itself creates a huge opportunity for Bitcoin and crypto to flourish over the next decade. He said this is just the beginning of widespread adoption, seamless integration with traditional finance, and robust regulatory frameworks.
"As performance continues, trust builds and adoption grows Bitcoin is fast becoming a ‘must have’ in an investment portfolio with its strong risk-adjusted returns. Looking ahead, continued institutional allocation feels inevitable, especially with an improving regulatory environment and that will serve as a tailwind for bitcoin through the rest of 2025."
Bullish Outlook
Simon Peters, crypto analyst at eToro, said the long-term outlook remains bullish as multiple factors continue to support the upward trend.
“Ultimately, the price should continue to climb over the long term. Bitcoin is behaving in line with the widely held narrative as a hedge against monetary debasement — especially as central banks maintain expansive monetary policies, government borrowing continues, and global money supply rises.”
The increasing demand for bitcoin, particularly from institutional investors, is further fueling its price momentum. Public and private companies, institutional funds, and ETFs now hold approximately 3.5 million BTC, representing around 17% of the total fixed supply of 21 million — a significant rise from 2.6 million BTC just one year ago.
Additionally, the crypto sector is gaining stronger political and regulatory backing. Despite the positive outlook, Peters advises caution.
“While optimism is high, the potential for short-term pullbacks remains. Investors should assess their time horizon and risk tolerance before entering the market. A strategy like dollar-cost averaging — investing a fixed amount regularly may help reduce timing risk and lower the average cost of investment over time.”
Institutional Demand
Experts said Bitcoin will reach new heights amid growing institutional demand and regulatory momentum. They said major traditional financial institutions are becoming increasingly involved in crypto launching more funds in the sector, with the asset class seen as attractive for risk-adjusted returns.
According to new global research by London-based Nickel Digital Asset Management (Nickel), Europe’s leading digital assets hedge fund manager founded by alumni of Bankers Trust, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, about 43% of the participants believe there will be a dramatic increase in traditional financial firms launching crypto funds and investment solutions over the next two years.
A further 53% believe there will be a slight increase. Nearly three out of four (73%) of the institutional investors and wealth managers questioned expect a rise in digital asset fund launches in general this year with just 2% predicting a decline.
Anatoly Crachilov, CEO and Founding Partner at Nickel Digital, said traditional finance firms are already making significant strides into the digital assets space and that is only predicted to increase over the next two years.
“The views of institutional investors and wealth managers on the ability of crypto to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns helps to explain why that is the case, and why professional investors increasingly expect crypto to be part of institutional investors portfolio allocation.
Increasing involvement by traditional institutions is good news for the sector - nearly one in five (18%) say the involvement of major firms is very positive for their involvement in the sector while 74% say it’s quite positive.
Nickel’s research in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil and the UAE with organisations who collectively manage around $1.1 trillion in assets, found they believe crypto will be one of their top five asset classes for risk-adjusted returns over the next five years as the table below outlines. Private equity was the next most selected followed by emerging market equities.
The research found 75% believe crypto will become part of portfolio allocation by institutional investors within five years.
Companies questioned say actively managed diversified long-only portfolios are the most favoured way to access the digital asset space, followed by actively managed diversified long-short portfolios with passive diversified portfolios the third choice. Arbitrage-focused hedge funds were ranked fourth ahead of ETFs and ETPs.
