Standard Chartered Bank Report: Bitcoin surged to $135,000 in Q3, driven by ETF reserve frenzy, beware of high leverage fluctuations.

Standard Chartered Bank has once again raised its Bitcoin price target, indicating that it will surge to $135,000 in Q3, with ETF funds and corporate treasury holdings set to dominate future trends, while cautioning against high leverage risks. (Background: SharpLink Gaming invested $22.8 million to increase its Ethereum position, holding a total of 200,000 ETH. Did the stock SBET rebound?) (Additional background: VC warns "Bitcoin Reserve Companies": unable to avoid a death spiral, a crash will lead to a Bear Market.) Standard Chartered Bank's latest report has boosted the short and long-term outlook for Bitcoin (BTC): it predicts a breakthrough of $135,000 in Q3 2025, challenging $200,000 by the end of the year, and pushing the endpoint for 2028 to $500,000. Bitcoin is currently hovering around $100,000, a significant gap that raises market questions: if "four-year Halving" is no longer the main theme, who will take over? ETF fund inflows have become the new protagonist. The report indicates that the Spot ETF has turned into a "black hole" for Bitcoin. K33 research shows that monthly net inflows of ETFs explain 80% of monthly returns (R² ≈ 0.80). Since the first batch of Spot ETFs was approved in the United States, cumulative inflows have reached around 100,000 Bitcoins, injecting unprecedented liquidity and reducing volatility, with data showing that the fund curve and price have risen almost in sync. Another driving force comes from listed companies. Statistics show that enterprises collectively hold about 855,000 Bitcoins, accounting for 4% of the total supply. In the second quarter of this year, they increased their holdings by 131,000, but many companies obtained positions through "stock swaps" which may not immediately lead to buying pressure. Standard Chartered Bank reminds through its latest warning that if prices experience sharp pullbacks, high-leverage positions may trigger liquidations, and when prices reach $100,000, profits taken by Crypto Veterans may also weaken buying momentum, necessitating attention to pullbacks and consolidations from the end of Q3 to the beginning of Q4. The impact of Halving is diminishing, and the demand side is taking over. In the 12 months following the last three Halvings, Bitcoin's price increases were 7,000%, 291%, and 541%, but only 43% remains for 2024. The marginal impact of supply shocks is declining, with the demand side—especially institutional funds, global liquidity, and regulatory environment—becoming the core of pricing. Bitcoin's annualized inflation rate has fallen below that of gold, further solidifying the narrative of "digital gold." Standard Chartered's high price call symbolizes the market's belief that Bitcoin is entering an institutional pricing era. If investors want to stand firm amid market fluctuations, embracing the upside potential brought by ETFs and corporate buy-ins is a strategy, but they must cautiously confront the short-term volatility that high leverage and profit-taking may trigger. Related reports: Bitcoin mining company BitMine announces the establishment of a $250 million Ethereum reserve; BMNR stock price surged nearly 700%. Analysts: Ethereum's rise is coming! Targeting $10,000, with a potential explosion in alt season in just a few weeks. Kazakhstan announces the establishment of a "cryptocurrency national reserve": state-run Bitcoin mining farm revenues & confiscated assets included in the national treasury. <Standard Chartered Bank report: Bitcoin to surge to $135,000 in Q3, led by ETF reserves, beware of high-leverage volatility> This article was first published in BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.