Foreign media reports that Fundstrat, the research supervisor of Tom Lee, recently stated in an interview with CNBC that if the US CLARITY Act bill passes this year, Bitcoin and Ethereum may see stronger performance in the fourth quarter. He listed this bill as one of the four factors that will drive the crypto market higher before the end of the year.
Four catalytic factors appear simultaneously.
Lee believes that the first pillar of support comes from the relative performance of crypto assets in the third quarter of this year. He stated that digital assets remain one of the strongest-performing macro assets so far this quarter, and this performance may continue to attract institutional funds into the market in September and the fourth quarter.
The second factor is the four-year cycle often mentioned in the crypto market. Lee states that this cycle is expected to enter a new phase next month, and some investors who left the market before may return. He specifically mentioned that Korean investors once turned to AI stocks within the year, but there are signs of renewed activity in trading on the crypto market recently.
Tokenization and product launch mentioned by name
The third pillar of support comes from the improvement in industry fundamentals. Lee mentions that tokenization businesses continue to heat up, and Robinhood has also launched what it calls a breakthrough product. At the same time, the expansion of generative AI is providing additional impetus to related sectors.
The passage of the bill amplifies market expectations.
In Lee, the fourth catalytic factor seems to be CLARITY Act itself. He stated that if this bill is passed within the year, Bitcoin and Ethereum could have a very strong performance in the fourth quarter.
Regarding the fluctuations of the past year, Lee believes that the market decline was not as severe as the outside world imagined. Despite deleveraging during that period, a sharp drop in October last year, and two rounds of pullbacks earlier this year, he thinks that there are still not many investors holding crypto assets at present. This means that if there is additional capital flowing back later on, there is still room for prices to continue to rise.
Bitcoin has returned above $80,000
At the time Lee expressed the above views, the price of Bitcoin had already shown a clear recovery. Reports mentioned that in late August 2026, the crypto market recorded its largest single-week increase in nearly three years, with Bitcoin once again surpassing $80,000. In the months prior, it had been fluctuating within lower ranges, while some altcoins saw increases of 30% to 50% during the same period.
