Can Bitcoin really reach $150K, what would it take?

Bitcoin’s steady climb to a new all-time high this October has revived the familiar question of whether the next breakout could mark the first sustained run to $150,000.

The optimism follows a surge in derivatives positioning and ETF inflows, suggesting that institutional momentum may be reshaping the cycle’s upper bound rather than simply fueling another speculative rally.

Derivatives market lit the fuse

On Derive.xyz, options traders have already made up their minds and believe the flagship digital asset is trending upwards.

According to data shared with CryptoSlate, contracts priced for expiry before the end of October show an aggressive skew toward the upside, implying expectations of a move as high as $150,000.

Dean Dawson, Derive’s head of research, says the setup reflects more than optimism. He noted:

“Bitcoin volatility is poised for a breakout. Implied volatilities across 14, 30, and 90-day expiries have surged to their highest levels in the past 30 days, pointing to increased anticipation of big moves ahead.”

That movement, however, isn’t being imagined in isolation. It’s being priced against macro reality, particularly the near-unanimous expectation of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate cut this month. Polymarket traders place the odds at around 90%, and that probability has rippled through every liquidity-sensitive asset class.

Rate cuts reduce the real return on cash and lift the appeal of higher-beta assets like Bitcoin. The data shows that volatility follows liquidity, and liquidity, for now, is turning back on.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs inflow

That renewed liquidity is most visible in spot Bitcoin ETFs, which continue to serve as the most transparent window into institutional sentiment.

So far this month, the 12 funds have attracted over $5 billion in new capital and are on pace to surpass the $6.49 billion record set last November, when Bitcoin first broke the $100,000 mark.

Bitcoin ETFs Netflow (Source: CryptoQuant)

Supporting this view, CryptoQuant noted that the Coinbase Premium Index , a gauge of US institutional demand , has stayed positive for 42 consecutive days, underscoring sustained accumulation by regulated investors.

Bitcoin Coinbase Premium (Source: CryptoQuant)

According to a K33 Research report, Bitcoin’s average 30-day return when ETF flows trend positive is 8.2%. When monthly inflows exceed 20,000 BTC, the figure jumps to 23.6%, compared with a– 4% rate during outflow periods between 2020 and 2023.

The takeaway is that when structured investment vehicles attract capital, BTC are quietly removed from circulation, tightening the float. If the pattern holds, today’s inflow momentum could propel Bitcoin toward $130,000 to $150,000 without a speculative mania ever materializing.

Exchange supply drops

Another significant bullish signal for BTC’s march towards $150,000 is its dwindling exchange supply.

Glassnode data show exchange-held reserves have slipped to a multi-year low of 2.838 million BTC, or 14.24% of total supply. This is further supported by the fact that Bitwise noted that large BTC holders withdrew 49,158 BTC last week, marking the 143rd-largest outflow on record.

According to the firm:

“[While] these transfers could be related to internal exchanges movements, however, the combination of increasing buy-side volumes, as well as the reduction in exchange balances supports the validity of this observation.”

Moreover, the asset management firm reported that realized profits among short-term holders reached just $3.07 billion last week. Notably, this is less than a third of what was seen at the 2021 peak.

In other words, the market is moving up without people rushing to sell. Coins are disappearing from exchanges, but not flooding back when prices rise. This represents a textbook setup for supply compression and, by extension, price acceleration.

Macro tides favor Bitcoin

Beyond crypto-specific data, the global environment is quietly reinforcing the foundations of Bitcoin’s potential rally.

According to Bitwise, rising geopolitical risks and persistent inflationary pressures have made stability elusive in the United States. Meanwhile, global borrowing has surged, putting pressure on fiat currencies and rekindling demand for hard assets like gold.

Gold, long considered a traditional hedge, has surged 50.03% year-to-date, outpacing Bitcoin’s performance thus far. Yet that strength has split investor opinion.

One camp believes gold’s rally is overstretched, prompting reallocations into alternatives like Bitcoin, a similar hedge against currency debasement but with a lower valuation premium. The other camp expects gold to remain dominant, supported by central bank accumulation, retail buying in China, and policy uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s trade agenda.

Either way, the liquidity outlook favors both assets. Central banks appear poised to maintain easier monetary settings, including lower rates, potential yield-curve controls, and expanded balance sheets, which could result in capital flooding the markets. Liquidity often migrates to the edges of institutional risk mandates, where Bitcoin increasingly resides.

Bitcoin/Gold vs. Cross Asset Risk Appetite (Source: Bitwise)

As such, investors on both sides of the “store-of-value” divide could converge toward the same behavior. Gold reallocators may rotate into digital assets seeking asymmetric upside, while traditional allocators chasing beta will still find Bitcoin supported by the same liquidity tide.

Ultimately, both narratives converge on the same destination: renewed capital inflows into digital assets, driven by a global search for protection in an era of structural monetary expansion.

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