Cathie Wood Predicted $500,000 Bitcoin by 2026. It's Currently Trading at $70,000.

Speaking at the SALT Conference in 2021, Wood laid out her bullish thesis with characteristic confidence: institutional adoption was coming, companies would pile in, and Bitcoin would rocket to half a million dollars. Fast forward to March 2026, and Bitcoin sits around $70,000 — roughly 14% of her "base case" prediction. To her credit, Wood has since quietly pivoted, now positioning $500K as the "bear case" for 2030 instead. Her flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) is also down over 70% from its 2021 highs. The prediction itself wasn't crazy at the time — Bitcoin had just hit $60K and the "institutional flood" narrative was everywhere. But calling a specific price 5 years out? That's the kind of confidence that ages either brilliantly or terribly. There's no in-between.