Bitcoin Needs More Liquidity to Rally, Says Arthur Hayes

Highlights:

• Hayes wants investors to wait for an easier policy before buying Bitcoin aggressively.
• He warns geopolitical stress could drag Bitcoin and stocks lower first.
• Despite near-term caution, Hayes still sees Bitcoin reaching $100,000 later.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and managing partner at Maelstrom, is urging Bitcoin
(BTC) investors not to rush into the market, even though he remains firmly optimistic about the asset’s long-term direction. In a recent YouTube interview with CoinStories on Tuesday, Hayes said that if he had only $1 to invest right now, he would not put it into Bitcoin immediately. Instead, he said he would wait for a clearer shift in U.S. monetary policy, especially a return to Federal Reserve easing and renewed money creation.

Where is Bitcoin headed next?@CryptoHayes latest takes might surprise you.

Full show streaming now 🎧

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Arthur Hayes’ origin story
8:33 Bullish or bearish on Bitcoin
9:59 Institutions taking over Bitcoin?
11:52 Bitcoin price manipulation
13:26 What's holding… pic.twitter.com/Q5w86NdMW8

— Natalie Brunell ⚡️ (@natbrunell) March 10, 2026

Hayes Says Bitcoin Needs Looser Monetary Conditions to Rally

Hayes explained that his caution is about the bigger economy and monetary policy, not Bitcoin itself. He expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep interest rates high for now. According to him, the best buying opportunities will come when the Fed starts easing policy and printing more money. Hayes summed it up simply: “Money printing is good for Bitcoin.” That’s why he is waiting patiently before investing.

Hayes did not question Bitcoin’s long-term value. Instead, he focused on the broader market environment. He argued that Bitcoin usually performs best when central banks inject liquidity or when investors expect easier monetary policy. In his view, those conditions have not fully developed yet, which leaves room for more volatility. For that reason, he prefers to stay patient rather than buy at current levels.

Hayes also warned that rising geopolitical tensions could trigger another wave of selling in both traditional and crypto markets. He said a long conflict could weigh on stocks and spread pressure across digital assets, leading to forced selling in leveraged positions. “[With] the unfortunate war between US and Iran, I think that there is a situation where the longer that this carries on, there could be a massive sell-off in equities and Bitcoin,” he said.

In that kind of market stress, he believes Bitcoin could fall below $60,000 before finding stronger support. His view stands out because it pushes back against the idea that every geopolitical shock helps Bitcoin in the short term. Instead, Hayes argued that panic usually hits risk assets first, and Bitcoin often gets caught in that selloff before easier macro conditions help it recover.

Arthur Hayes Still Sees Bitcoin at $100K Despite Near-Term Caution

Hayes may sound careful in the short term, but he still believes strongly in Bitcoin’s long-term growth. He said Bitcoin could reach $100,000 in the next few years if global liquidity keeps rising. Still, he warned traders not to expect easy gains. He said the market does not exist to make people rich easily. For Hayes, patience and a close watch on the bigger economic picture will matter most in the next stage of the crypto cycle.

This outlook underscores growing confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term potential. Recently, Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise Asset Management, said $1 million per Bitcoin may be more realistic than it seems.

JUST IN: $15 billion asset manager Bitwise publishes report titled "How Bitcoin Gets to $1 Million" 👀

"…the global “store of value” market will be ~$121 trillion in 10 years…bitcoin only needs to take 17% of the market to be worth $1 million a coin." 🚀 pic.twitter.com/xETtCf9SFx

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) March 10, 2026

Bitcoin Struggles Between $62K and $70K

Bitcoin has turned weak again after failing to stay above recent highs. At the time of writing, it was trading at $69,520, down 1.7% in the past 24 hours. From a technical view, Bitcoin is moving inside a wide range between $70,410 and $62,618. A strong move above $70,410 could open the path toward $96,962. On the downside, if risk sentiment worsens and BTC falls below $62,618, the price could slide under $60,000. For now, the market looks more likely to stay range-bound until sentiment becomes clearer.