So here’s the thing about crypto people: they’re basically the financial world’s equivalent of that friend who insists the party’s just getting started even though it’s 3 AM and the cops are at the door.
Case in point: Bitcoin Investor Week just wrapped up in NYC, and despite Bitcoin being down about 50% from its recent peak (ouch), the vibes were apparently immaculate. Picture this: cowboys in snakeskin boots mingling with hedge fund bros in their signature Patagonia vests, all united by their shared belief that orange coin good, even when orange coin very much not doing good.
The event was hosted by Anthony Pompliano—yes, that’s his real name—and featured all the usual suspects you’d expect at a crypto conference during a bear market. Think orange ties (because Bitcoin orange, get it?), an abundance of “this is fine” energy, and enough hopium to power a small city.
Chris Klein from Bitcoin IRA basically shrugged off the current carnage, saying “Every eighteen months we go through something like this.” Which is either the wisdom of experience or the kind of thing people say right before everything goes to zero. Hard to tell!
The really wild part? These folks are doubling down. Mike Novogratz from Galaxy Digital admitted he’s been buying more Bitcoin recently. Cathie Wood showed up to remind everyone that Bitcoin is apparently a hedge against both inflation AND deflation (which is like saying it’s both an umbrella and a sunscreen—convenient!). And Dan Ives from Wedbush basically said you can’t be bullish on tech without being bullish on Bitcoin, which feels like saying you can’t like pizza without liking pineapple on pizza.
But here’s what’s actually interesting: while Bitcoin is stuck around $70,000 (down from over $100k), the attendees weren’t just delusional optimists. Many were actual builders working on real projects, not just speculators hoping number go up. There’s something refreshing about conferences during market downturns—they separate the wheat from the chaff, or in crypto terms, the diamond hands from the paper hands.
Grant Cardone, who apparently invests in both real estate AND Bitcoin (diversification king), thinks Bitcoin could “go sideways til the Fall” but still hit $180,000 by year-end. That’s either bold prediction or advanced copium—you decide.
The consensus among the orange-tie brigade? Bitcoin will bounce back this year. Whether that’s based on solid fundamentals, regulatory clarity from the CLARITY Act, or just really good vibes remains to be seen.
Look, crypto conferences during bear markets are fascinating anthropological studies. It’s where eternal optimism meets brutal market reality, and somehow the optimism usually wins. Whether that’s inspiring or concerning probably depends on how much Bitcoin you’re holding.
One thing’s for sure: if Bitcoin does hit $180k by December, these folks will never let us forget they called it during the depths of crypto winter. And if it doesn’t? Well, there’s always next cycle.