Arthur Hayes Foresees Bitcoin Hitting $100K—But Warns of Imminent Crypto Carnage

Bitcoin's bull run faces a brutal test as macro tides turn.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes—never one to mince words—just dropped a bombshell prediction: Bitcoin could skyrocket to $100,000... right before the crypto market gets gutted. The contrarian kingpin sees a perfect storm brewing, where institutional FOMO collides with shaky liquidity conditions.

Hayes' track record lends weight to his prophecy. The ex-CEO famously called Bitcoin's 2021 top within weeks, then nailed the 2022 bottom. Now he's painting a two-act drama: first a speculative frenzy as TradFi finally 'gets' crypto (or at least pretends to), followed by a reckoning when leverage gets flushed out.

Timing? That's where things get spicy. Hayes suggests the Fed's next policy pivot—whether toward easing or renewed tightening—could trigger the cascade. 'Central bankers giveth, and central bankers taketh away,' he quipped, tossing shade at the monetary policymakers who still don't realize crypto markets move three steps ahead of their press conferences.

For hodlers, the message is clear: strap in for volatility. That $100K price tag might arrive faster than anyone expects—but the ride back down could separate the diamond hands from the margin-called tourists.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, recently cited macroeconomics concerns linked to the U.S. tariff bill and weak employment data. He forecasts Bitcoin testing $100,000 and ethereum falling to $3,000, as global economies struggle to drive nominal GDP growth. Additionally, Hayes sold about $13.35 million worth of crypto assets to multiple platforms. 

Hayes Warns Against U.S. Tariff Bill  

In a recent post on X, Hayes warned of looming macroeconomic instability. He believes that the expiration of the US tariff bill will add further pressure to an already sluggish market. 

He stated, “Y? US Tariff bill coming due in 3q … at least the mrkt believes that after NFP print. No major econ is creating enough credit fast enough to boost nominal gdp. So $BTC tests $100k, $ETH tests $3k.” 

Hayes further pointed out that no major economy is currently creating credit fast enough to support nominal GDP growth, which influences broader economic conditions. This also indicates that Bitcoin and Ethereum could become safe havens again. 

Amid Broad Market Volatility, Arthur Hayes Dumps Crypto Assets 

Hayes sold about  2,373 ETH worth $8.32 million, 7.76 million ENA valued at $4.62 million, and 38.86 billion Pepe tokens totaling around $414,700. His transactions spanned multiple platforms— Uniswap, Flowdesk, and Binance. The co-founder also made large USDC inflows from multiple addresses before moving tokens to centralized exchanges.  

Despite the sellings, Hayes’ strategy may still match his long-term view of crypto growth. It can be seen as a tactical move, as just a few weeks back, he bought about $1.5 million in ENA tokens (Ethena) when prices were low. 

What’s Next? Hayes’ WebX Asia Event in Tokyo

Hayes plans to expand his views on derivatives trading and on macroeconomic headwinds in the WebX Asia event in Tokyo on August 25, 2025. He also plans to explore how trade policy might influence crypto markets in the NEAR term. This event could be profitable for investors seeking advice in crypto strategy, as the recent Tariff bills and unchanged rate have provoked uncertainty in the industry.