Arthur Hayes Sells ETH, Predicts $100K BTC on Tariff Turmoil

Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of BitMEX, has sold a large portion of his crypto holdings, signaling a strategic shift. Blockchain data shows he offloaded 2,373 ETH worth approximately $8.32 million in the last 6 hours. Alongside Ethereum, he also sold 7.76 million ENA tokens ($4.62 million) and 38.86 billion PEPE tokens ($414,700).

The transactions spanned multiple platforms, including Uniswap, Flowdesk, and Binance. Major counterparties included B2C2 Group and Cumberland DRW. Most of the swaps appear to have been executed through wrapped Ethereum pools. Hayes also made large USDC inflows from multiple addresses before moving tokens to centralized exchanges.

Tariff Bill, Weak Credit Creation Fuel Bullish Forecast

Despite the sell-off, Hayes remains firmly bullish on the crypto market. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he warned of looming macroeconomic instability. “Y? US Tariff bill coming due in 3Q … at least the mrkt believes that after NFP print,” he wrote. “No major econ is creating enough credit fast enough to boost nominal GDP. So $BTC tests $100k, $ETH tests $3k.”

Hayes believes the expiration of the U.S. tariff bill will add further pressure to an already sluggish global economy. With no major economy ramping up credit creation, he suggests that Bitcoin and Ethereum could become safe havens again. This time, with Bitcoin potentially testing the $100,000 mark and Ethereum targeting $3,000.

He invited followers to hear more during his keynote at WebX Asia in Tokyo on August 25, before casually adding, “Back to the beach,” suggesting confidence in his thesis despite market volatility.

A Contrarian Signal or Tactical Rebalancing?

Hayes is known for his bold market takes and tactical portfolio moves. While some view his recent liquidations as bearish, others interpret them as simple rebalancing or preparation for macro shifts.

Given his forecast, Hayes may be positioning for a market reentry at lower prices, or simply locking in profits before volatility hits. His commentary reinforces growing concerns around global economic momentum and the crypto market’s response to fiscal stressors.

Either way, Hayes continues to influence sentiment. His recent moves are being closely watched by analysts and investors alike.