Tom Lee Pulls Back From $250K Bitcoin Forecast
BitMine chair Tom Lee now appears to be stepping away from his previously confident $250,000 Bitcoin price prediction for the end of 2025. In a recent CNBC interview, Lee said he still expects Bitcoin (BTC) to trade above $100,000 before year-end, but only offered a “maybe” when asked if BTC could retest its October all-time high (ATH) of $125,100 before December closes.
This marks the first time Lee has publicly softened his ultra-bullish stance. Earlier in 2024 and through October, he repeatedly projected Bitcoin hitting $250,000 by the end of 2025 — a call considered one of the most aggressive in the market.
Industry Reaction to Lee’s Revised Outlook
Lee’s earlier $250K forecast stood out even among optimistic analysts. Crypto leaders like Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz previously warned that Bitcoin would need “crazy stuff” to happen to reach that target anytime soon.
Despite the adjustment, Lee maintains a positive long-term outlook, saying Bitcoin’s “best days” may still arrive before the end of 2025, with roughly 35 days left in the year.
Bitcoin’s Biggest Gains Happen in Just a Few Days
One of Lee’s main arguments centers on Bitcoin’s historical price behavior. He noted that BTC typically makes the majority of its annual gains during only about 10 trading days. Missing those key days can drastically reduce investor returns.
This idea is widely accepted among crypto executives. In February 2024, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley highlighted that missing Bitcoin’s best 10 days historically means missing almost all of the asset’s total returns.
In 2024, Bitcoin’s 10 strongest days produced a combined 52% gain, while the remaining 355 days averaged –15%.
Bitcoin Recovers Above $90K After Market Downtrend
Bitcoin has struggled since Oct. 10, following a sharp $19 billion crypto market liquidation triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 100% tariff on Chinese goods. The correction pushed BTC below $90,000 for six consecutive days.
On Wednesday, Bitcoin finally reclaimed the $90,000 level.
This decline came despite November historically being Bitcoin’s strongest month since 2013, according to data from CoinGlass.
Meanwhile, economist Timothy Peterson said earlier this week that Bitcoin’s bottom may already be in — or may form before the week ends.
Tom Lee’s Track Record: Hits and Misses
Lee’s predictions have had mixed accuracy over the years.
In January 2018, he forecasted Bitcoin would reach $125,000 by 2022, but BTC didn’t hit that level until October 2025.
However, some of his earlier projections played out successfully.
In July 2017, Lee said Bitcoin could reach $20,000 by 2022 in a base-case scenario and $55,000 in a more bullish outlook. Bitcoin went on to hit $20,000 in December 2020 and $55,000 in March 2021, according to CoinMarketCap.
Bitcoin Price Outlook Moving Forward
Lee may be dialing back expectations, but his overall stance remains bullish. With BTC back above $90K and historical patterns suggesting explosive moves often come in short bursts, many analysts believe the coming months could still deliver major upside for Bitcoin.
Whether Bitcoin reaches a new ATH or simply stabilizes before the next surge, the crypto market will be watching Lee’s revised predictions closely as 2025 approaches.
