Bitcoin at $65K Revives Schiff's Doom Calls โ But Even He Now Says It Won't Hit Zero
Multi-perspective analysis. Each perspective deliberately argues one viewpoint; none represents the editorial position of qalarc.
Bitcoin traded around $64,940 on June 17, 2026, roughly half its October 2025 record near $126,000, fueling a fresh round of bearish predictions from longtime critic Peter Schiff, who has forecast a fall below $20,000. Yet during a June 16 Fox Business debate with Anthony Pompliano, Schiff publicly conceded that Bitcoin 'isn't going to zero.' Against that backdrop, some online traders have floated a tongue-in-cheek proposal for a 'coordinated rally to $150,000' to serve as an exit point for abandoning crypto โ a satirical idea with no basis in any market plan.
The facts (8)
- As of June 17, 2026, Bitcoin traded at about $64,939.99, down from the prior day and roughly $39,700 lower than a year earlier [1].
- The price sits roughly 47-52% below Bitcoin's all-time high near $126,000, reached on October 6, 2025 [1].
- Peter Schiff in early June 2026 predicted Bitcoin could break below $50,000 and fall under $20,000, separately warning of a 'death spiral' toward $30,000 [2][3][9].
- On June 16, 2026, during a Fox Business debate with Anthony Pompliano, Schiff stated Bitcoin 'isn't going to zero,' though he argued that for most investors 'it will feel like zero' [4].
- The only genuine $150,000 figure circulating is a 2026 year-end bullish price target from analysts and institutions such as Bernstein and Standard Chartered โ not any organized 'exit' or abandonment scheme [6][7].
- Bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $85.8M in net inflows on June 15, 2026, ending a multi-week outflow streak as 'bottom fishers' lifted the price above its 2026 low [5][8].
- The proposed 'coordinated Bitcoin rally to $150k as an exit point' and the 'Pride Month sale' framing are satirical commentary, not documented market events.
- Online traders remain split: some describe Bitcoin as 'dead' after over a year of declines and say they have rotated into equities, while others argue the deep bear market is a buying opportunity.
Context & background
Peter Schiff, the gold-focused economist and CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, has been one of Bitcoin's most persistent critics for over a decade, repeatedly declaring it doomed or headed to zero [11]. His latest forecasts arrive during a steep 2026 drawdown that has erased roughly half of Bitcoin's value since its October 2025 peak [1]. Schiff's June 16 concession that Bitcoin is not going to zero marks a notable softening from his usual rhetoric, even as he maintains that the worst may still lie ahead [4][5]. Bitcoin, launched in 2009, remains the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and has historically experienced sharp boom-and-bust cycles [10]. The current discussion also reflects long-running debates over Bitcoin's utility relative to privacy coins, stablecoins, and smart-contract platforms โ with skeptics arguing its public ledger is a drawback and that its value rests largely on price speculation rather than real-world use.
Still unresolved
- Whether Bitcoin has reached a cyclical bottom in the low-to-mid $60,000s or will fall further toward the $30,000-$50,000 range some bears predict.
- Whether the recent ETF inflow turnaround signals durable institutional re-entry or a temporary 'bottom fishing' bounce.
- Whether bullish 2026 year-end targets of $112,000-$150,000 remain credible given the year's sharp decline.
The same story, argued three ways. Pick an angle โ the facts above stay the same.
From the threads
The posts that drew the most replies in the source discussion โ shown as posted. Reactions ranged across the spectrum; these are the ones people actually engaged with. Each quote links to its archived source thread so you can verify it; quotes we couldn't tie to a source thread are marked source unverified.
Some talk about regretting it. Anyone sold and still thinks it was the right move? If you had the cash from that sale sitting in your account today, would you buy BTC again? Because I definitely would.
Is Peter Schiff tweeting about bitcoin unironically a good bottom indicator?
why monero? people actually use it, the fact that bitcoin is transparent is actually quite a con in itself. stablecoins, ETH and its L2s (think polygon, defi, smart contracts etc) and privacy coins have genuine utility; something like HYPE has utility. Anything with bitcoin it's just about its "heckin price" that's all it is, nobody uses it.
Day 1739 of snailposting every day until BTC is at 1M
Links shared in the discussion
Primary sources the threads posted โ verify independently. These sometimes point to leads other coverage misses.
Continue the discussion
Add your own take โ replies are kept on this article and can be upvoted.
๐ Related Analysis
- Claim that $65K is Bitcoin's bottom shared: bitcoin
- MicroStrategy Bitcoin holdings hit 845k BTC after major stack shared: bitcoin
References
- [1] Current price of Bitcoin for June 17, 2026 | Fortune
- [2] Bitcoin 'death spiral' could spark worst decline โ Peter Schiff | CCN
- [3] Peter Schiff Bitcoin $20,000 prediction | BeInCrypto
- [4] Peter Schiff Says Bitcoin Isn't Going To Zero During Debate With Anthony Pompliano | Benzinga
- [5] 'Bottom Fishers' Lift Bitcoin Above 2026 Low but Schiff Warns the Worst May Still Be Ahead | Bitcoin.com
- [6] When will Bitcoin hit $150k? Predictions & Odds 2026 | Polymarket
- [7] Bitcoin Price Forecast 2026: Institutions, Halving Set Stage for $150K BTC Price | FXEmpire
- [8] Bitcoin News Today: BTC Surges to $65,695 โ June 2026 | Coingabbar
- [9] Peter Schiff Predicts Bitcoin May Fall to $30,000 Level | hokanews
- [10] Bitcoin | Wikipedia
- [11] Peter Schiff | Wikipedia
- [12] Peter Schiff Says Bitcoin Isn't Going To Zero During Debate With Anthony Pompliano | Benzinga
- [13] Peter Schiff Says Bitcoin Isn't Going To Zero During Debate With Anthony Pompliano | Benzinga
โพ Discussion
Select any text in the article to comment on that passage.