Beyond the Headlines: Here's What's Next for Bitcoin

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In this issue of Beyond the Headlines, we’re focusing on a single topic today: Cryptocurrency investing.

Crypto may be everywhere in the headlines, but most people still feel lost when it comes to actually investing in it.

A recent survey shows confusion — not fear — is the biggest barrier.

That’s why we sat down with veteran financial reporter David Zeiler, whose track record with Bitcoin (BTC) predictions speaks for itself.

But first, a message from today’s sponsor.

Now, back to Beyond the Headlines … 

What’s Happening: A Harris Poll survey from the National Cryptocurrency Association revealed that the biggest barrier to crypto adoption isn’t fear—it’s confusion. One goal of the 2025 Crypto Confidence Pulse was to see why four out of five adults still don’t own crypto. The duo surveyed 2,000 non-owners and found that nearly 90% of them feel like they don’t understand crypto enough to actually engage with it. And almost half cite that lack of understanding as the main reason they stay away.

Why It Matters: When people don’t understand something, they’re more likely to fear it. But things break down when that fear then fuels misconceptions. Even those interested in crypto often don’t know where to begin.

The Opportunity: Fortunately, within the Stock Picker’s Corner (SPC) network, we have access to David Zeiler — a seasoned financial journalist and early adopter of cryptocurrency. Dave, formerly a writer with The Baltimore Sun, has built a reputation for his remarkably accurate predictions about Bitcoin, including one of his most notable calls last March.

In March 2024, Dave forecasted that Bitcoin would surpass $100,000 by year’s end. It was a bold prediction considering it was trading around $68,000 at the time. True to form for Dave, Bitcoin crossed the $100,000 mark on December 4.

I recently sat down with him to get his insights on how to begin investing in crypto, and to hear his outlook for the remainder of the year.

No. 1: If you were someone interested in investing in crypto but haven’t yet, what’s the very first step you would take that also wouldn’t feel overwhelming?

Most sensible investors are cautious about risking their money on something new and different.

Don’t feel bad: By calling you “sensible,” I’m paying you a compliment.

So by describing crypto as “overwhelming” is apt, because trying to wrap your head around crypto is daunting indeed.

The key is education through getting up to speed on something new. The issue here is that there are a mind-numbing number of options: books, videos, podcasts, and websites.

How do you choose? 

I recommend that people already comfortable with stocks tap the resources offered by two of the biggest brokerages — Schwab and Fidelity. Both have comprehensive beginner’s guides to crypto tailored to the retail investor audience. And you don’t even need an account to access them! Both are free. You can find Schwab’s page here and Fidelity’s here.

That leaves you with the issue of how to invest in crypto.

Buying crypto directly used to mean setting up an account at a crypto exchange, which can be intimidating for those who aren’t tech-savvy, as well as a bit tedious. The brokerages are coming around to offering crypto. Fidelity clients can buy Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH), and Litecoin (LTC), but I don’t think someone who just wants some exposure to crypto necessarily needs to go this route.

That’s why I would advise such investors to simply buy a Bitcoin ETF, specifically BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust $IBIT ( ▲ 2.83% )  or the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund $FBTC ( ▲ 2.83% ) .

They are the biggest Bitcoin ETFs and are run by large, trusted firms. You can buy them with any existing brokerage account, just like any other ETF. I would also stick with Bitcoin as a first step — even though there are several Ethereum ETFs out there now. Bitcoin is the “big dog” of crypto, particularly from an investment standpoint, and I don’t see that changing.

No. 2: We’re seeing more crypto IPOs — like Circle Internet Group Inc. $CRCL ( ▲ 3.13% )  going public in June and Gemini Space Station $GEMI ( ▲ 1.19% )  taking shares public in September. Is there anything specifically people should evaluate differently with a “crypto IPO” versus IPOs from other industries?

I think investors should scrutinize crypto stocks as they would any other stock. Look at the fundamentals, the profitability, the growth potential, and the quality of the C-suite leadership.

The one thing investors do need to bear in mind with crypto companies is that their stock prices are heavily influenced by prices in the crypto markets.

When crypto is booming, as it has been for the past year or so, crypto stocks will thrive.

But when a crypto bear market strikes, it will drag down the price of any stock linked to crypto. And that makes sense, because the state of the crypto markets has a direct impact on their businesses. But investors need to be prepared for the bumpy ride.

No. 3: In your 2025 outlook published before the start of the year, you said we won’t likely see a Bitcoin top until around October or November. Given that we’re almost there, is that prediction still in place? Is there anything Bitcoin investors should watch out for in the near term because of that potential top?

Bitcoin did set a new all-time high of $124,457 back in August. And it’s traded below that price since. A rally in October-November remains very possible, although nothing is guaranteed. Most in the crypto community believe the four-year cycle will play out with Bitcoin peaking in the fall. I’ve seen several Wall Street analysts say the same.

My low-end target was $145,000-$150,000, and that seems very achievable.

While even that may seem like a big jump from the $113,000 range where Bitcoin is sitting now, Bitcoin peak rallies tend to be pretty dramatic. Back in the fall of 2017, Bitcoin rocketed 227% in five weeks. In 2021, Bitcoin rallied 64% in six weeks. In fact, a parabolic rise is the main sign that a cycle-peak rally is underway.

Even a 25% rally from current levels puts Bitcoin near the bottom of my low-end target. If we do see a strong rally in the next few weeks, I think FOMO would drive it higher. Remember, previous rallies were mostly driven by crypto enthusiasts. We didn’t have the Bitcoin ETFs, and we didn’t have a lot of institutional investors. Now we have billions of dollars more of potential capital to feed a cycle-peak rally than we did in 2017 or 2021.

So my middle-range target of $200,000 is still in play. That would represent a 76% gain from the current price, which is not outlandish given the history of previous cycle-peak rallies.

Even in the best-case scenario I don’t see Bitcoin getting much higher than $200,000, however. Then we’ll have a one-year bear market, if the four-year cycle holds. That won’t be fun for anyone.

We want to thank Dave for sharing his insights.

You can follow his publication here.  

That’s it for today’s issue.

Take care,