Bernstein | Crypto

Shares of the stablecoin issuer have seemingly decoupled from the broader crypto market, gaining 49% this year and doubling since early February. Circle Internet Financial is among Wall Street’s best-performing stocks so far in 2026, and analysts at Bernstein believe the rally could continue as stablecoin adoption accelerates. In a recent note to clients, Bernstein reiterated its “Outperform” rating on CRCL stock and set a $190 price target, which typically reflects analysts’ expectations for a stock over the next 12 months. Despite a volatile end to 2025, Circle shares appear to have decoupled from the broader cryptocurrency market, which has been under pressure since October following a major leveraged liquidation event. Read more

Stablecoins are decoupling from crypto market cycles as they are increasingly used for digital payments, Bernstein analysts said, which bodes well for USDC issuer Circle.

The research analysts pointed to tight liquidity and macro pressure as drivers of the decline, while noting that spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen relatively modest outflows. Bernstein analysts on Monday maintained their $150,000 target for Bitcoin (BTC) despite the recent sell-off that they said was being driven by lacking investor confidence rather than structural stress. Calling the pullback the “weakest bear case” in the asset’s history, the analysts’ note to investors said no major failures have emerged across Bitcoin’s market plumbing, and pointed to relatively modest 7% net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs even as BTC price dropped by about 50%. “The current Bitcoin price action is a mere crisis of confidence. Nothing broke, no skeletons will show up,” analysts led by Gautam Chhugani said. Read more

After a choppy end to 2025, Wall Street broker Bernstein said crypto markets have likely bottomed and it sees a broad-based tokenization boom reshaping finance.

Bernstein reiterated its outperform rating on Robinhood and lifted its price target on the stock to $160 from $105.

The crypto exchange is becoming one of USDC's most active advocates across payments and financial services, Bernstein said.