Bitcoin's recovery above $94,000 on January 5th led to new bold price expectations on Crypto Twitter, including a recent prediction from YoungHoon Kim that Bitcoin would reach $100,000 within 48 hours.
This statement quickly garnered a lot of attention, partly due to the timing, and partly because of Kim's controversial reputation for extremely high Bitcoin expectations.
Will the self-proclaimed smartest man in the world continue to have his Bitcoin prediction wrong?
Kim, a South Korean online personality, became popular in late 2025 by repeatedly describing himself as someone with an IQ of 276 and positioning his market opinions as superior to traditional analyses.
His Bitcoin predictions often go viral, even though many traders are skeptical.
In November, Kim expected Bitcoin to rise to $220,000 in 45 days, but that expectation did not materialize.
In December, he also stated that Bitcoin would break $100,000 within a week.
Instead, Bitcoin traded below $90,000 for most of December, influenced by macro uncertainty, year-end positions, and declining momentum.
That context is important. Kim's earlier predictions came during periods without clear catalysts while the overall risk sentiment remained weak. The market did not support a parabolic move as he predicted.
The current situation is somewhat different, but not dramatically so.
Are Bitcoin charts becoming bullish again?
Bitcoin's return to $94,000 came after a risky opening of the U.S. stock markets. Investors on Wall Street viewed the escalation in Venezuela this weekend as under control and not an immediate threat to global markets.
Stocks rose, energy funds performed better, and crypto followed stocks instead of acting as a safe haven.
However, this rise does not immediately mean that a breakout to $100,000 within 48 hours is logical. Bitcoin remains sensitive to sentiment around stocks.
The momentum has improved, but there are no clear signs of panic buying, supply shocks, or structural catalysts that typically lead to a rapid rise towards six figures.
On-chain data also does not support a direct vertical breakout.
In November, long-term holders (LTHs) spent more, but a large portion of that was internal transfers within exchanges – especially at Coinbase. This was not a real sale to the market.
Long-term holders moved a lot of Bitcoin in November, but most of it was through internal shifts at exchanges, especially at Coinbase, and did not end up as real sales in the market.
If you don’t account for these internal movements, long-term holders appear active but not extreme. This indicates more of a reshuffling than a sudden increase in demand as needed for a sharp breakout.
Derivatives funding remains stable. Inflows to exchanges are low. Volatility has increased, but not explosively. In other words, this rise feels controlled and not euphoric.
Kim's latest price prediction aligns with market optimism, but his timeline remains very ambitious. Bitcoin may test the psychological resistance around $100,000 in the coming weeks if risk appetite persists.
For a quick breakout in the short term, likely more is needed than just better sentiment.
For now, the prediction sits somewhere between confidence and wishful thinking. Bitcoin is moving again, but the market still revolves around structure, not slogans.