Former ARK Invest’s Blockchain Products Lead, Chris Burniske, has recently ignited excitement among crypto market participants. Burniske, who is now the co-founder of the Placeholder venture firm, predicts that the crypto bull market may peak in October.
According to his recent post via X (formerly Twitter), Burniske estimated that Bitcoin (BTC) could reach $142,690, while Ether (ETH) might climb to a range within $6,900 to $8,000. He also added that Solana (SOL) could surge to $420, representing approximately 20%, 40–60%, and 100% gains, respectively, from the assets’ current levels.
He noted that if prices get “crazier” between August and October, it bolsters his conviction in the market peak prediction. However, the co-founder added that a significant pullback from the current zone could further stretch the bull cycle beyond his expected October top.
Aiming for an October top in BTC, if I were to pick numbers, which we all know is a grade above guessing, I'd say $BTC $142,690, $ETH $6900-8K, $SOL ~$420.
NFA, it's a meme world we live in ¯_(ツ)_/¯
— Chris Burniske (@cburniske) August 13, 2025
Interestingly, the forecast arrives amid a broader crypto rally. Bitcoin recently broke above $124,500, pushing its total market capitalization to new heights of $2.43 trillion. Ether reached a new six-month high of $4,785, which is 2.2% away from its all-time high. Notably, a favourable regulatory climate and institutional demand played a significant role as catalysts behind the surge.
At the same time, BNB slightly surpassed its all-time high recorded last month as Bitcoin’s dominance fell to 58%, hinting at an altcoin revival. Based on the current market cap, Burniske’s price prediction implies that $500 billion will flow into Bitcoin, $230–$350 billion into Ether, and $100 billion into Solana.
What Other Analysts Predict for Ether
Predictions on Ether vary widely but are commonly bullish. Standard Chartered recently raised its 2025 year-end forecast from $4,000 to $7,500, citing adoption and the Genius Act. The bank also projects ETH could climb to $25,000 by 2028, driven by broader stablecoin usage and growth in DeFi.
Additionally, its analysts estimate Ether treasuries could eventually hold up to 10% of the asset’s supply. Tolling that line, Thomas Lee, chairman of BitMine, believes those numbers may still be conservative. He suggests that ETH could reach a $10,000 to $15,000 range by the end of 2025.
ETH reaching $7,500 by year-end 2025 and $25,000 by 2028 would validate ETH is arguably one of the biggest macro trades over the next decade
👇PS: year-end target by Standard Chartered might be low 😉 https://t.co/YuQuDWjE2N
— Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FSInsight.com (@fundstrat) August 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, flipped to a bullish outlook. After selling ETH holdings in anticipation of a downturn, Hayes quickly reversed course within a week and bought back $6.5 million worth. He publicly joked to Lee, saying, “I pinky swear, I’ll never take profit again.”
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