# Tom Lee: Bitcoin at or above $25,000 on Dec 31, 2018

Updated Sep 29, 2026 · Web page: https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-bitcoin-25k-by-2018/

Tom Lee's prediction that Bitcoin would be at or above $25,000 on December 31, 2018 did not come true. The close on the deadline decided this call: Bitcoin closed at $3,692 on December 31, 2018, the deadline, 85% below the target. Tom Lee made the call on CNBC on February 28, 2018, when Bitcoin was at $10,567. The target needed a 137% rise in ten months.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | Missed |
| Person | [Tom Lee](https://predictionverifier.com/people/tom-lee/) |
| Asset | [Bitcoin (BTC)](https://predictionverifier.com/assets/bitcoin/) |
| Outlet | CNBC |
| Said on | Feb 28, 2018 |
| Quote | “On Wednesday, Lee maintained his midyear bitcoin price target of $20,000 — roughly double Wednesday's prices — and a year-end target of $25,000.” |
| Price when said → target | $10,567 → $25,000 |
| Change | +137% from the price when said |
| Deadline | Dec 31, 2018 |
| Deciding close | Close on the deadline: $3,692 (Dec 31, 2018) |
| Source | [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/struggling-bitcoin-will-double-by-mid-year-wall-streets-tom-lee-says.html) |
| Archive | [Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20250819161920/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/struggling-bitcoin-will-double-by-mid-year-wall-streets-tom-lee-says.html) |
| How we check | [How we check predictions](https://predictionverifier.com/how-we-check-predictions/#at-deadline) |
| Public ID | #7d394 |

## What was said

[Tom Lee](https://predictionverifier.com/people/tom-lee/) · Head of Research, Fundstrat Global Advisors; Chairman, Bitmine Immersion Technologies · 8 predictions · 2 hit · 4 missed · 2 open

CNBC, Feb 28, 2018 · [Source](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/struggling-bitcoin-will-double-by-mid-year-wall-streets-tom-lee-says.html) · [Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20250819161920/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/struggling-bitcoin-will-double-by-mid-year-wall-streets-tom-lee-says.html)

> On Wednesday, Lee maintained his midyear bitcoin price target of $20,000 — roughly double Wednesday's prices — and a year-end target of $25,000.

In his Wednesday report, Lee described the sell-off in bitcoin at the start of 2018 as an overshoot to the downside and cited announcements such as Rakuten's planned coin as positive developments. He also noted that bitcoin's low for the year had occurred in the first two months of the calendar year in six of the last seven years. He pointed to major companies, including Rakuten, Line and Starbucks, moving toward cryptocurrencies.

## How we checked this

The close of the last trading day on or before Dec 31, 2018 decides: the prediction comes true if that close is at or above $25,000. Prices are daily closes in UTC, not intraday highs.

- Price when said: $10,567 (Feb 27, 2018) · [price data](https://exchange.coinbase.com/trade/BTC-USD)
- Deciding close: $3,692 (Dec 31, 2018) · [price data](https://exchange.coinbase.com/trade/BTC-USD)

[How we check predictions](https://predictionverifier.com/how-we-check-predictions/)

## More from Tom Lee

- [Tom Lee: S&P 500 at or above 8,000 on Dec 31, 2026](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-sp500-8000-by-2026/) · Open · 7,365 → 8,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2026 · #266cb
  “We are giving a mid-year update and raising our year-end target for S & P 500 to 8,000 from 7,700.”
- [Tom Lee: Bitcoin to $300,000 by Dec 31, 2026](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-bitcoin-300k-by-2026/) · Open · $93,454 → $300,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2026 · #891a1
  “He added that BTC will mirror the performance of the S&P 500 US stock index next year and predicted a price high of $300,000.”
- [Tom Lee: Bitcoin to $200,000 by Dec 31, 2025](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-bitcoin-200k-by-2025/) · Missed · $111,130 → $200,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2025 · #e8979
  “I think Bitcoin can easily get to $200,000 before the end of the year, and I know that's a big move.”
- [Tom Lee: Bitcoin to $150,000 by Dec 31, 2025](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-bitcoin-150k-by-2025/) · Missed · $94,265 → $150,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2025 · #614af
  “Speaking on CNBC‘s Squawk Box on Monday, March 3, Lee noted that he expects Bitcoin to “do better than $150,000 this year,” citing widening acceptance.”
- [Tom Lee: S&P 500 at or above 3,125 on Dec 31, 2019](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tom-lee-sp500-3125-by-2019/) · Hit · 2,918 → 3,125 · Deadline Dec 31, 2019 · #379a0
  “In a note to clients, the co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors raised his S&P 500 year-end target to 3,125 from 2,925, which represents a 7% gain from Thursday's 2,917 close.”

## Other Bitcoin predictions

- [Brian Armstrong: Bitcoin to $400,000 by Dec 31, 2030](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/brian-armstrong-bitcoin-400k-by-2030/) · Open · $78,284 → $400,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2030 · #bcf13
  “Coinbase chief executive Brian Armstrong still expects Bitcoin to reach $400,000 by 2030, he told CNBC Squawk Box Asia on Thursday, calling it a "reasonable target" even as BTC currently trades around $77,000.”
- [Tim Draper: Bitcoin to $250,000 by Jul 4, 2027](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tim-draper-bitcoin-250k-by-july-2027/) · Open · $62,520 → $250,000 · Deadline Jul 4, 2027 · #27561
  ““It just wasn’t me. I haven’t touched it. Arkham has it wrong,” Draper told Cointelegraph, adding that he still expects Bitcoin to reach $250,000 within one year.”
- [Arthur Hayes: Bitcoin at or above $500,000 on Dec 31, 2026](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/arthur-hayes-bitcoin-500k-by-2026/) · Open · $76,349 → $500,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2026 · #a5999
  “Adding to the bullish sentiment, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has set an end-of-year Bitcoin price target of $500,000 and a $200 target for HYPE, in an exclusive interview with Coinpedia, while reaffirming that the majority of his personal wealth remains stored in Bitcoin.”
- [Tim Draper: Bitcoin to $250,000 by Oct 14, 2027](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tim-draper-bitcoin-250k-by-october-2027/) · Open · $74,446 → $250,000 · Deadline Oct 14, 2027 · #60478
  “I have reason to believe that bitcoin will reach $250K in 18 months … eventually I expect the number to be higher as bitcoin rises and the dollar falls to inflationary pressures.”
- [Tim Draper: Bitcoin to $250,000 by Dec 31, 2026](https://predictionverifier.com/predictions/tim-draper-bitcoin-250k-by-2026/) · Open · $93,722 → $250,000 · Deadline Dec 31, 2026 · #52073
  “2026 será grande. Bitcoin se vuelve convencional. Mi predicción de $250K finalmente alcanzada.”

## More on this prediction

- [Tom Lee's price predictions](https://predictionverifier.com/people/tom-lee/)
- [Bitcoin price predictions](https://predictionverifier.com/assets/bitcoin/)

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