Why Tom Lee Expects a Bigger Crypto Bull Run This Cycle
Tom Lee sees the biggest crypto bull run yet, betting on Bitcoin’s technical recovery, institutional capital and tokenization of traditional assets. But recent market weakness puts his $100,000 Bitcoin and $7,500 Ethereum targets to the test.
Tom Lee predicts the biggest crypto bull run yet, citing Bitcoin’s 200-day moving average and growing institutional adoption.
He sees tokenization of $200 trillion in liquid assets as a potential driver of capital inflows into crypto.
Lee’s year-end Bitcoin price prediction exceeds $100,000, while his Ethereum target stands at $7,500.
BitMine chairman and Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee expects the current crypto-surge to be the biggest in the history of the blockchain industry.
The BitMine chairman laid out predictions in a session during TOKEN2049 with Ondo Finance on October 8, 2026.
He described a technical price scenario with Bitcoin climbing towards a $200 trillion market for tokenized assets.
He expects Bitcoin to exceed $100,000 by year-end while presenting a bullish Ethereum crypto-outlook near $7,500.
Technical Outlook for a Bitcoin Crypto Rally
Lee’s Bitcoin 2026 technical outlook draws on the cryptocurrency’s outperformance against its 200-day average.
According to the BitMine chairman’s October 2026, BTC crypto crossed its 200-day EMA on August 19th.
Lee cites historical performance, with a six-month forward return of 193% on average when the cryptocurrency traded above the 200-day moving average.
On the statistics front, BTC registered a positive return in 8 out of 10 observations since 2010. In addition, eight out of the last nine instances where Bitcoin crossed above the 200-day SMA have been bullish for the crypto-market.
Each of these elements supports the Bitcoin crypto-price prediction, but the combination of these technical indicators will not guarantee a positive outcome.
Lee mentions continued inflows of Year-to-Date Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFS). His premise rests on institutional involvement in fueling the crypto bull run.
According to Tom Lee, it differentiates the current crypto-market environment from the previous bullish periods in the digital asset’s history.
The Bullish Case for an Extended Crypto Bull Run
Lee produces a more compelling argument for a tokenization-driven crypto-outlook. In his Tokenization presentation last year, filed with the SEC, Tom Lee estimated global liquid assets at approximately $200 trillion.
Stocks, bonds and credit account for approximately $160 trillion dollars. He states that 10% of any of these three asset classes would fuel a $16 trillion opportunity in the tokenization space.
Tokenized Assets Growth | Source: IMF
The $16 trillion opportunity provides a robust projection for the size of a crypto bull market. It proves not the committed funding size poised to expand the cryptocurrency market.
Furthermore, his argument contrasts with the crypto-ICO and NFT frenzy of the past few years, which attracted more retail investors.
In this regard, Tom Lee’s outlook for a $200 trillion crypto economy presents a sound premise for a Bitcoin bull run.
Ethereum Price Outlook for Institutions
Ethereum figures prominently in the tokenization-driven cryptocurrency outlook. The second-largest digital asset possesses a vibrant ecosystem and an extensive developer base.
Lee’s Ethereum crypto outlook involves additional elements outside tokenization. Specifically, the Tom Lee crypto-outlook envisions additional demand for the ETH network from digital asset treasuries.
The blockchain infrastructure could potentially host a percentage of the digital assets and funds on institutional balance sheets.
Consequently, a large proportion of these liquid assets may fuel a substantial bull run in the near term.
Lee’s October 2026 chairman’s letter sheds light on the significance of digital asset treasury companies.
Specifically, the Ethereum-based treasuries house about $21 billion in ETH. As a result, the cryptocurrency investor expects these funds to drive higher demand for the ethereum network.
According to the Tom Lee crypto-outlook, these funds represent a subset of the $200 trillion tokenization opportunity.
For starters, Ethereum outlook projections factor in the increased on-chain liquidity. A huge percentage of the $21 billion will most likely feed directly into the price of the ETH.
Moreover, another consideration pertains to whether these large institutional funds will trigger a broader demand for altcoins in general.
According to Tom Lee’s October 8 meeting with TOKEN2049, the bitmining magnate expects ETH to exceed $5,000 by year-end, with a scenario placing it around $7,500 in the near term.
Can the Bitcoin Bull Run Converge in 2027?
Some developments threaten to undermineTom Lee crypto-outlook for Bitcoin and ether. Specifically, the crypto-bullish forecasts face competition from the strong macroeconomic fundamentals.
In the same period, U.S government-associated wallets recorded the movement of 17,468 BTC worth nearly $1.44 billion.
The transfer took place between October 6 and 8, 2026. Notably, the report highlights that the transfers do not indicate that the government sold the crypto assets.
Ethereum crypto price outlook faces a similar threat from a potential bear-market. According to a Block Insider report on the ethereum price, the digital cryptocurrency experienced a decline below the $2,000 level on October 9, 2026.
At the same time, Binance's ether reserves declined sharply from approximately 3.57 to 3.47 million. Withdrawals of more than 320,000 transactions took place on October 6th.