Late-night cryptocurrency chaos, over 110,000 traders liquidated, Bitcoin's predicted price slashed in half

The volatility of cryptocurrencies has increased in recent days!

On January 3, Bitcoin surged to over $90,500, then plunged in the afternoon to fall below $90,000. As of 22:50, Bitcoin once again crossed the $90,000 mark, with several major cryptocurrencies collectively rising; Ethereum returned to $3,000, up over 2%, XRP rose over 6%, and Dogecoin increased by over 9%. According to Coinglass data, more than 110,000 people were liquidated in the past 24 hours.

In terms of news, on the evening of January 3, Xinhua reported that U.S. President Trump stated that the U.S. had successfully carried out an operation against Venezuela. Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were “dragged out of their bedroom” during a U.S. military raid. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Guterres stated on the 3rd that Guterres is deeply shocked by the recent escalation of the situation in Venezuela, and that the military actions taken by the U.S. that day could have concerning effects on the region.

Bitcoin has fallen nearly 30% in two months.

Standard Chartered has significantly downgraded its long-term price forecast for Bitcoin.

Notably, according to Caixin, Geoff Kendrick, the global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered and one of Wall Street’s most steadfast Bitcoin bulls, has recently made a drastic downgrade to his forecast for the cryptocurrency.

Standard Chartered has nearly “halved” its future Bitcoin price predictions, with the largest declines expected between 2026 and 2028. Kendrick stated that Standard Chartered expects Bitcoin to rise to $150,000 in 2026, which is only half of the previous target of $300,000.

In early October 2025, Bitcoin briefly soared to an all-time high of about $126,000, and compared to that peak, Bitcoin has since fallen nearly 30%.

The recent round of declines in Bitcoin has been dragged down by multiple negative factors, including insufficient market liquidity, reduced risk appetite amid unclear interest rate cut prospects, and market speculation that the largest Bitcoin corporate buyer, Strategy, may be forced to sell part of its holdings.

Additionally, news suggests that expectations for an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve have increased.

Barclays’ U.S. economists stated in a report that the bank maintains its expectation of two rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026, one in March and another in June, each by 25 basis points. They believe that the risks around this baseline forecast lean toward delaying the rate cuts.

David Seif, chief economist for developed markets at Nomura, recently told a reporter from the 21st Century Business Herald that the Fed’s dynamics in 2026 may become more dramatic. Nomura expects the U.S. economy to remain resilient in 2026, with real GDP expected to grow by 2.4%. The easing of labor supply pressures and accelerated AI-led business investment will support the economy. Labor market conditions are expected to improve, with the unemployment rate projected to fall to 4.0% by the end of the year after a three-year slight increase.

Regarding the future path of the Fed’s monetary policy, Nomura expects that although inflationary pressures from tariffs in 2025 will ease, core services inflation will keep the Fed cautious. Under a new, more dovish leadership, it is anticipated that the Fed will cut rates once in June and once in September 2026.

(Disclaimer: The content of this article is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice. Investors act at their own risk based on this information.)

(Editor: Wenjing)

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                                                            Cryptocurrency