Bitcoin
Should You Buy Bitcoin While It’s Below $60,000?
The leading cryptocurrency is poised to break out, with some powerful catalysts working in its favor.
Despite rising 275% since the beginning of 2023 and 47% since the beginning of this year (as of July 3), Bitcoin (BTC 1.05%) has been trading mostly sideways since the beginning of March. It looks like the digital asset is struggling to break out and start marching towards a new high.
And as of the afternoon of July 5, Bitcoin was trading around $56,500, or about 23% below its peak price. Here’s why investors should add the largest cryptocurrency in the world for your portfolio as long as it is less than $60,000.
Focus on the short term
As an asset that is only 15 years old, the digital currency is still reaching certain milestones on its path to development. In January this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission finally approved the trading of spot bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETFs), a monumental moment in the history of cryptocurrencies.
From the date of approval to today, its price has jumped 24%. Money is still flowing into these ETFs. With the increased accessibility and convenience that the funds provide, I think it’s reasonable to assume that larger pools of capital — from pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, for example — will move some money into Bitcoin over time.
In April, Bitcoin has undergone a halvingwhich cuts the new supply available to miners in half. This event happens roughly every four years and typically results in a major bull run for the cryptocurrency over the following 12 to 18 months. With demand increasing for an asset whose inflation rate has just dropped, it makes sense that the price would rise.
And there is another potential near-term catalyst on the horizon. While inflation remains well above the Federal ReserveWith the 2% target, there is hope that interest rates will start to fall sooner rather than later. When this happens, investors are incentivized to take on more risk in order to generate a higher return on their assets, which could lead to more capital finding its way into Bitcoin.
Focus on the long term
Zooming in and focusing on the bigger picture, there are other reasons to be optimistic about its potential. For starters, there are countless companies, particularly Blockwho are working on developing tools and services to help with Bitcoin adoption. This could mean creating a user-friendly platform physical wallets for blockchain assets or launch new payment mechanisms that use cryptocurrencies.
I also think it’s important to consider how changing demographics could affect Bitcoin for the better. Gen Z — defined as those between the ages of 12 and 27 — is more likely to own cryptocurrencies than stocks, according to a survey conducted by online insurance broker Policygenius last October. In a world that’s becoming increasingly digital, it makes sense that people would want to own something like the leading cryptocurrency as a store of value when they can feel like it serves them better than the traditional financial system.
There will only ever be 21 million bitcoins in circulation. Because of this fixed limit, the digital currency is scarcer than gold. And it is portable, divisible, and functional in transactions. It may be easy to believe that is a superior asset to gold.
The value of all the gold in the world is estimated at $15.9 trillion. As a conservative assumption, let’s say Bitcoin’s market cap reaches half that level, or around $8 trillion. At that point, each Bitcoin would be worth roughly $380,000. That implies a staggering gain of nearly six times its current market value. If it takes a decade to get there, investors are looking at a theoretical 21% annualized gain in the digital asset’s price.
With Bitcoin trading well below the $60,000 level, I believe investors would be wise to consider buying with the intention of holding the cryptocurrency for the long term.
Neil Patel and its clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Block. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.