Earlier this year, he said Bitcoin could reach around $125,000 by the end of 2026, pointing to U.S. fiscal spending, bank credit creation, and increasing dollar liquidity as potential catalysts.
His longer-term predictions are considerably more aggressive. In a July interview, Hayes said Bitcoin could eventually reach $1 million at the peak of the next market cycle, while Ethereum could climb as high as $100,000–$200,000.
However, that prediction came with an important caveat.
Hayes argued that the artificial intelligence investment boom has absorbed enormous amounts of capital that might otherwise have flowed into crypto. He suggested that Bitcoin’s definitive cycle bottom may not arrive until an eventual AI unwind triggers a broader risk-asset selloff.
His latest “oxygen-maxxing” post sounds considerably more cheerful.
It also follows another August message in which Hayes said he was “sending some good vibes to the bull market gods.”
Is Hayes Calling the Bottom?
Not necessarily.
The latest post contains no explicit market forecast, timing estimate, or trading recommendation. It could simply be Hayes trolling his followers while Bitcoin attempts another recovery.
Still, his comments are closely watched because the Maelstrom CIO has spent much of 2026 arguing that macro liquidity—not Bitcoin’s traditional four-year halving cycle—is now the key variable for crypto prices.
Related: CZ Warns Millionaires May Soon Be Unable to Afford a Single Bitcoin
At roughly $64,000, Bitcoin would still need to nearly double to reach Hayes’s $125,000 year-end target.
Apparently, Hayes intends to be well oxygenated if it does.
