These 2 Indicators Suggest Bitcoin Could Soon Double | The Motley Fool

Markets are full of complicated gauges, but sometimes the simplest ones deliver the cleanest signal. Right now, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) is sliding while the global M2 money supply is swelling, and those two shifts have historically been rocket fuel for crypto assets, particularly Bitcoin (BTC -1.71%).

At roughly $118,000 per coin, up about 29% so far this year, Bitcoin sits at an inflection point where fresh liquidity and a softer dollar could converge into a powerful updraft, doubling it from here. Understanding these two indicators is key to predicting what might happen next.

As the dollar sags, Bitcoin runs

Across Bitcoin’s 16-year history, pronounced dollar weakness has usually coincided with strong upside for the coin.

As fate would have it, the DXY — which measures the value of the U.S. dollar against a basket of foreign currencies — recently printed its deepest dive below its 200-day moving average in 21 years, precisely as Bitcoin is climbing to touch its all-time highs.

In every major crypto bull cycle, like 2013, 2017, and 2021, a falling value of DXY preceded or paralleled Bitcoin’s advance. The mechanism is straightforward. As the greenback loses purchasing power, investors hunt for scarce, nonsovereign assets that can hold value across borders, like gold (which is at a high-water mark as well) and like Bitcoin.

Dollar softness may not be transitory this time around. There could be a couple of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve before the end of 2025, signaling easier monetary policy ahead. A cheaper dollar, combined with a shrinking pool of newly minted Bitcoin courtesy of its halving in 2024, will tighten the supply-and-demand vise in favor of Bitcoin holders even further.

Still, correlation is not destiny. During prior pivots to risk-off periods, both Bitcoin and the dollar have fallen together. However, short-term dislocations aside, a persistently weaker DXY tilts the long-term odds toward higher Bitcoin prices.

The global money supply is expanding again

While the dollar stumbles, the total pool of money sloshing around the world just hit an all-time high.

The global M2 money supply indicator, which counts cash plus liquid deposits across the 21 largest central banks, climbed to $55.5 trillion in July, reclaiming the growth trend that paused in 2023.

That matters because Bitcoin historically tracks M2 growth with a loose but meaningful correlation. When liquidity accelerates, investors have more capital to deploy into scarce assets, and Bitcoin’s hard cap of 21 million coins makes it an obvious candidate on that front.

Central banks are also greasing the wheels here. India’s Reserve Bank has already slashed its repo rate and cut its reserve requirements to inject cash into markets. China’s central bank has committed to a fairly loose stance, preparing further liquidity injections to shore up demand domestically. Those moves echo shifts at other major central banks and point to a broad, synchronized easing cycle which will send the money supply even higher.

Assuming Bitcoin simply maintains its historical elasticity to rising liquidity, a 1% jump in global M2 growth has often translated into 65% or higher returns for the coin within the following 12 to 18 months. Starting from today’s $118,000 price tag, even a conservative reading of that relationship suggests a doubling toward $240,000 is thus feasible on the basis of the M2’s recent expansion, though not guaranteed.

What investors should consider

The past can’t predict the future, and while I’m optimistic about these money moves pushing Bitcoin drastically higher, investors should remember that more money supply can stoke inflation, prompt surprise rate hikes, or flow into entirely different asset classes. Still, with the dollar on the back foot and central banks printing money again, Bitcoin looks unusually well positioned, and it could well double from here.